Together
by Emme2589
Summary: Chibi-Robo wakes up after a seven century nap to a world completely different from the one he's used to. He later finds out he was here for a reason. Sequel to WALL-E - Family. Various graphic depictions.
1. Chapter 1

**2014**

Chibi-Robo closed his eyes, laying his head back. He was currently relaxing in the branches of the tree in the Sanderson's backyard. The whole house was clean, which was a nice feeling, and so Chibi had decided to take the night off. The sun was just beginning to set.

"Chibi-Robo!" Telly chimed, "It's evening, now! Do you wanna head back?"

Chibi opened the storage compartment in his head and displayed his _No!_ sign.

"Oh. I see." Telly beamed, "You just wanna relax out here? I think I'll join you!"

Chibi watched his friend hover downwards until he was resting on the tree branch beside him, then his rotor blades shut off. Chibi widened his eyes in surprise.

"What?" Telly pretended to be cross, "I can relax too, can't I?"

It wasn't that, Chibi had just never seen those little helicopter blades shut off. Telly was too hyperactive to sit around doing nothing. Nevertheless, Chibi gave his friend a pat on the head before resting his hands over his torso, ankles crossed.

Chibi watched in awe as the light in the sky slowly vanished, leaving behind a cluster of stars. Chibi turned to his friend and pointed with one arm.

"Oh, the stars?" Telly asked, "You know what those are."

 _Yes!_ Chibi replied. He pointed again, inquiring.

"Should I tell you more about them?"

 _Yes!_

"OK, well..." Telly searched his memory banks for any relevant information, "They're actually as big as the sun, but they're much farther away. Our sun is the closest star, and they're all..."

Chibi listened to the quiet chatter of his best friend and guide while the stars twinkled above, a soft breeze rustling the leaves in the tree. Most people might find the chatter annoying, and it could be at times, but Chibi was content in the fact that his friend was right there beside him. The voice was comforting, if for no other reason than it belonged to Telly Vision. A couple years ago, Chibi had nearly died when he became horribly lost, and the crippling silence of being all alone was enough to make his little Chibi-Heart twist painfully inside him.

That's why hearing Telly talk was like a soft fleece blanket against a cold winter. Chibi had decided that he never wanted to be alone again, so it was a good thing that Telly had never left his side since. After that painful experience, their bond had strengthened immensely. They were nearly inseparable.

"...in fact, we can't even see all the stars from where we are, because it's too bright-!"

Chibi sat up and waved his arm to grab his friend's attention. What did he just say!?

"Oh. Yeah. We live in the suburbs, Chibi-Robo." Telly explained, "If we were out in the countryside, we could see _trillions_ of stars dust the sky like glitter!"

Chibi lay back down, dumbfounded.

"I know." Telly replied wistfully, "I've never seen it myself, but my downloaded database tells me that it's such a beautiful sight." he paused to gaze upward longingly, "I've even heard that the actual sky is nearly completely blocked out because of all the heavenly bodies. Of course...it's hard to get electricity out in rural areas...so it's unlikely we'll ever get to see it..."

Chibi couldn't help but feel disappointed. If only he still had his infinite battery power...

"Hey. I wouldn't rule it out completely." Telly added, hope imminent in his eyes, "I'm sure we'll get to see it someday..."

They sat in silence for a moment while they thought. Chibi listened to the sounds of nighttime. Crickets, the breeze in the leaves...the peacefulness of it nearly lulled him to sleep.

"Hey, Chibi?" Telly asked, "Are you still awake?"

 _I am now._ Chibi thought, slightly annoyed, but he responded, _Yes!_

"Um..." Telly was quiet for nearly a full minute while his thoughts jumped back and forth, "Can I ask you something?"

Chibi looked at his friend, giving him his full attention.

"Do you think that..." he searched for the right words, "um..."

Chibi watched intently. _Yes? What is it, friend?_

Telly let a sigh escape his speaker, "Do you think we'll ever find love?"

Chibi half-closed one eye, a sign of confusion.

"Well...I mean...I mean that whole thing with Jenny and Mom...and Drake and Sophie...well..." he thought again, and again, "I...I don't know..."

Chibi felt his cameras droop into little sad half-circles.

"It's just...that..." Telly shook himself, "Never mind...forget I said anything, alright?"

Chibi couldn't forget something like that. Was Telly feeling unwelcome?

"Just nevermind, ok!?" Telly huffed, "Anyway, I'm sure we'll see all the stars one day!"

And he was back to his regular, cheerful self. Though Chibi was concerned, he decided to let the issue drop. Seeing Telly all serious and forlorn was unnerving, so it kind of echoed in Chibi's mind.

The world seemed to slow as Telly's chatter became soft, and pretty soon, both bots were sound asleep.

* * *

"No! That was cheap! C'mon, Drake! You can do it!"

Giga-Robo shook his head, almost having the equivalent of a migraine. Watching Mr. Sanderson shout at the TV was enough to make him miss the quiet days in the basement. At least then he was at peace. He didn't regret being brought back, of course, in fact he was incredibly grateful to Chibi for doing so, and watching Chibi do his daily chores was calming in its own right, but Giga knew Drake, and he knew what he was like. His love for gunpowder far outweighed his devotion to being a hero, so it annoyed him whenever Dad would spout nonsense like that.

Maybe he would spend some time in the basement, just to calm his nerves.

He slid off the couch, trudging behind it towards the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard. Chibi was out there, lying on the branch of the tree. It appeared that he had finished his daily chores and was taking a well-deserved break. Giga took a moment to appreciate how that little bot always managed to make everything sparkle, before moving on to the next room. He was feeling a bit run-down that day, possibly due to Mr. Sanderson's over-excitedness, so he opted to try and find a way to relax. What had he always done all day when the family was occupied all those years ago?

It had been nearly 18 years since he let its battery exhaust itself. He vaguely remembered the two adults tearfully waving goodbye before he let his systems shut down. He remembered that fateful day 8 years ago, when Chibi found him and plugged himself into one of Giga's access ports. He remembered when his memories were downloaded onto Chibi, and he remembered when he tried to get up, only for his battery to fall out, plunging him back into steady darkness.

The next time he woke up, his battery was back inside him, fully charged. The first face he saw upon awaking was none other than Chibi-Robo, eager alertness clear in his small, black cameras. Ever since that day, Giga and Chibi had nearly been as close as Chibi and Telly. Giga liked to watch Chibi work. It was cool seeing something dirty become clean, and often Chibi would stop to wave. Sometimes he would climb the couch and jump down onto Giga's shoulder. Once, Chibi had found Mr. Sanderson watching the Drake Redcrest show, so he climbed onto the tv and switched the channel. Giga laughed at Dad's reaction, albeit in his own way.

He smiled at the memory. Maybe he would relax with Chibi and Telly. That might calm his nerves.

Just as he'd had that thought, though, he saw an odd flash from the window above the front door of the house. Curious, he walked to the door and stood on tiptoe to reach the knob. He was massive compared to Chibi, but he was by no means tall. He had to really stretch to reach. Pulling the door closed behind him, he stepped down the small porch and over the lawn, pausing to look up into the sky. As the sun set, something became clearer. It was a bright light, coming closer and closer. By the time the stars would be visible, the light was all Giga could see.

Eyes widening in shock, he sprinted back towards the house, hoping to warn his family of oncoming danger.

That was the last thing he remembered before everything turned to static.


	2. Chapter 2

**2808**

"How many are here?" Leah asked.

"I don't know. Flowers or bushes?" Rose replied.

"Flowers."

"Um...a hundred and thirty?"

EVE Probes #4 and #5 were in the rose garden, which was taken care of by 5 or "Rose". 4 "Leah" had joined her sister to try and relax after their last endeavor. Rose smiled into one particular blossom, her eyelids curving down slightly.

"Awww...don't worry, you'll grow up healthy and strong, just like everyone else..."

"You're sweet, Rose." Leah told her, "I love the connection you have with your roses."

"They're mine." she replied simply, "I grew them, I love them."

"Yeah..." Leah felt the petals of another flower head, "They're so healthy!"

Rose reached beside her, and her fingers wrapped around the handle of her watering can, "I love seeing healthy flowers..." she said softly as the water from the can sprinkled over the leaves and the dirt below the bush.

"You're so gentle..." Leah replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I have to be. Roses are delicate." she set the can down and brushed her hands over the blossom again, "That's better..."

"Um..." Leah felt the box in her stasis chamber jostle, a reminder, "Can I show you something, Rose?"

Rose let her hands fall to her sides, "Sure, what is it?"

Leah opened her bio stasis chamber, "Look." she took the box out and brushed it off out of habit. She opened it, "See?"

"Whoa..." Rose placed her hands on either side of the box. There were two robots inside, one was 4 inches tall and the other was about an inch and a half. The larger one was silver, with arms ending in small claws. The top of his head was flat, and his small eyes were closed. The other robot was orange and silver, with small propellers and tiny stub arms. Both were covered in rust and years of decay.

"That's..." Rose felt herself frown, "Are they still alive?"

"I don't know, I can't tell." Leah let her thumb trail along the larger old robot's cheek, "I can't even identify what company they're from."

"Cool..." Rose looked up at her sister, "Where did you get this?"

"I found it near the outskirts of the encampment area. Apparently, this box was packed in San Francisco! Can you believe that?"

"Amazing..." Rose took the box and closed it back up, "Well, I'm done caring for my roses, so why don't we bring these two back to the Axiom and see if we can learn more about them?"

"Okay."

So they took the box to the Axiom's computer in the Captain's Cabin. Since AUTO was no longer there, it felt neglected and empty. Other robots kept up maintenance, but it still didn't feel the same without him.

Rose Opened the box again and laid both robots down on the scanner. Their joints didn't move from all the rust, "Analyze."

 _"Analyses: Chibi-Robo and Telly Vision, trademark of Citrusoft."_ What followed was a diagram of both robots, including chips and circuit boards.

"Oh my..." Leah let her eyes glaze over the scan, "They're design is so complex!"

"Define Citrusoft." Rose said.

 _"Citrusoft: A robotics company dealing with making life easier. Their biggest successes are Giga-Robo and Chibi-Robo."_

"Amazing." Leah said.

"Yeah." Rose replied, turning back to the computer, "Are they still alive?"

 _"Pardon?"_

Leah stepped up, "Scan for brain activity."

A buzzing sound could be heard, _"Scan complete. Subtle brain activity found."_

Leah gasped, "They're alive!"

"Wow..." Rose took them off the scan, "Let's see if we can wake them up."

"Really?" Leah took the larger robot in her hands, "How much oil will we need to loosen their joints?"

"Only one way to find out!" Rose replied, already applying oil to the smaller robot's arms.

Leah took another can of oil and began to rub it into the robot in her hands. She wondered what his story was. How old was he? What was his directive? How long was he asleep? By the time all the joints on the little robot were free, Leah was eager to talk to him.

"Done?" Rose asked.

"I think so. His joints are still squeaky, but they're loose enough to move around." Leah replied, looking up from her handiwork, "This one has a cord with two prongs on the end."

"What?" Rose looked at the cord attached to the cylindrical abdomen of the robot, "Oh wow. This kind of charger hasn't been used since before Wall-E was built!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! This robot is ancient!"

"That's so cool! So, uh...how do we charge him?"

"Let's see..." Rose turned back to the computer, "Do you have an outlet?"

The computer whirred in response, spitting out a rectangle with two openings, three holes in each. Leah marveled that they almost looked like surprised faces. Rose took the tail charger of the smaller robot and plugged him in, turning her attention to the other robot, "How about an automatic ion charger? That would work for this little guy."

Once both robots were charging, Leah watched the larger of the two stir. His metal eyelids fluttered open. He was still for quite awhile.

He didn't seem to want to get up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chibi-Robo felt sick and dizzy, two things he didn't like feeling. His eyes met harsh light, in a room that screamed of a Sci-Fi fantasy. He ached everywhere, and he heard something in his head that was nauseating to say the least. His eyes fell on a white robot who was almost egg-shaped.

"Are you okay?" she said, her voice warbling oddly in his head.

"Give him a second." another very similar robot said, "He just woke up. He's probably confused."

Ain't that the truth...

"Can you stand?" the first one said. She had orange eyes, he noticed.

His vision wouldn't focus at first, and when it did, it didn't very well. His systems felt sluggish and unresponsive. It was almost like his battery acid was made of molasses.

"What's your name?" the orange-eyed robot asked.

Chibi-Robo, he wanted to say. He tried to display his red _No!_ sign, but his head flap wouldn't obey him. His joints squeaked loudly in his microphone. He let his mind wander to an old memory as he tried to comprehend his situation...

 _"Hi, Chibi-Robo..." Jenny sat down at the kitchen table and placed her head in her hand, "How was your day?"_

 _He tugged on her pant leg, wanting on the table._

 _"Sure." she lifted him up and placed him on the tablecloth, "I don't suppose you know anything about parabolas?"_

 _He cocked his head._

 _"Yeah, didn't think so..." she gave a humorless laugh before pulling out her textbooks and pencils, "School is getting worse and worse...I miss the days when I said 'ribbit' and nothing else..."_

 _Chibi let his hand trail her sleeve, concern in his little black eyes._

 _"Why don't you talk to me while I work? That always makes me feel better..."_

 _Chibi turned around and sat down on a large marshmallow. It sagged slightly under his weight._

 _"Aw. Thanks, Chibi." she took her homework out with a smile, "That means a lot to me."_

He was pulled from his memory by the sound of an elevator door. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to go back. He wanted to be with Jenny.

"Who are they?" another white robot, this time with blue eyes.

"I found them outside."

"So you brought them to life?"

"We were curious! Besides, they're sentient!"

"They are?"

They...?

Telly! Where was Telly!?

Chibi lifted his head, wincing at the squeaking. He sat up and looked around. There he was, peacefully charging.

He crawled over to him and tried to shake him awake.

"Don't!"

Chibi stopped, looking up at the orange-eyed robot. The room was much clearer now.

"He should wake up on his own, so don't worry."

He slumped, watching Telly sleep. He was covered in so much rust, he was barely recognizable. Is that what the squeaking was!? He looked at his own arms. They were more light brown than silver now, and it was splotched and ugly.

 _How long was I asleep?_

He began to shake in silent horror.

"Oh no! Don't panic!" the orange-eyed robot lifted him up and cradled him gently, "It's okay...you'll be okay...okay?"

Chibi couldn't comprehend where he was. He was so scared. What year was it!? Had it been hundreds of years!? Centuries!?

What happened!?

"Ch-Chibi-R-obo...?" Telly slowly woke up, his eyes darting around, "Chibi-Robo!? Where are you!?"

Chibi pried his head flap open and forced his Chibi-Copter blades to spin as he descended to the ground.

"Chibi-Robo!?" Telly jumped off the charger he was on and hovered over to his friend, "What happened to you!? W-W-What happened to _me!?_ We're so rusty!"

"Chibi-Robo. That's your name?

Chibi turned back to the orange-eyed robot and (with difficulty) flashed his green _Yes!_ sign.

"I see. I didn't know this opened..." she tested the very squeaky hinge, "Here, lemme oil that for you..."

Chibi saw the can and felt the drip of cool liquid on his metal skin. He tested his head flap again. It was still very squeaky.

"Better?"

"Oh!" Telly hovered around, "What happened!? Where are we!?"

"Whoa! Calm down!" the second robot said (she had pink eyes), "What's your name?"

"M-my name?" Telly straightened out, "Oh! That's right!" he hovered back to Chibi-Robo and recited his greeting protocol, "Hello! My name is Telly Vision, and this is Chibi-Robo!"

"I see..." The orange-eyed robot smiled warmly, "My name is Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator 'EVE' Probe Three 'Leah'." she said to them, "But you can just call me Leah."

Leah.

"I'm Rose." the pink-eyed robot said, "And this is Eve and Wall-E."

"Nice to meet you!" the blue-eyed one called 'Eve' said.

"Wall-E!" WALL-E extended his hand, which Chibi shook uncertainly. It took both his hands.

"We're here to make you happy!" Telly continued.

"Is that your directive?" EVE asked.

"Uh, yeah I guess."

Chibi looked around at everyone in the room before turning to Telly and tapping his wrist.

"Oh, right..." Telly looked at the others, "What year is it?"

"What year?" Leah glanced at EVE, "What year did you come from?"

"Twenty fourteen." Telly replied, "Why?"

Everyone frowned, especially Leah. They seemed really nervous, which put Chibi on edge. Finally, Leah looked back at them with a downcast expression.

"I'm sorry, but the year now is twenty eight o eight..."


	4. Chapter 4

Chibi stared out the window, completely despondent. The entire planet was nothing but brown and garbage and dirt. Only a few plants and thin patches of grass remained. It made Chibi's heart ache painfully. How had the world gotten this bad?

How had humanity stooped as low as to destroy their home?

Telly was beside him, shaking with terror, _"What happened to our home?_

Chibi sat down cross-legged and hid his face with his hands.

 _"We..."_ Telly spoke slowly, _"Failed..."_

Leah sighed behind them, "I'm so sorry..." she rested her head on her arms, over the windowsill, "I can only imagine what you're feeling..."

 _"What happened to the sky? The trees? The grass?"_ Telly asked, feeling a dark cloud of sorrow hang over him, _"Where are all the birds? The frogs? The...the flowers?"_

Leah closed her eyes as raindrops began to hit the glass of the window pane, "I know...well, not entirely, because I was only built about twenty years ago, but I have seen pictures and videos..." she let her fingers tap the sill, "...I wish I could've been there, maybe then I'd understand what you're going through..."

"What?" Telly and Chibi turned to look at her, "You'd want to go through our pain just so you'd have perfect empathy!?"

"Yeah...kindness was always my biggest character flaw..."

Chibi felt something flutter in his chest, and he looked away as heat creeped up his face. He ignored it.

"That's not a character flaw..." Telly mumbled before turning back to the window, "This is awful..."

Leah frowned again, "Yeah..."

Chibi tried to listen to the rain to calm him, but it only made him think of his frog friends, Frieda and Fred. He felt tears gathering in his eyes.

"Chibi-Robo?"

Chibi looked at Telly, taking a frog ring out of his head capsule. Then he shrugged.

"Oh..." Telly turned to Leah, seeing that Rose hadn't left the room either, "Our human friends are gone, aren't they?"

"Oh...yeah, they're gone...I'm sorry..."

Telly turned away, "It's not your fault..."

"Is there anything I can do?" Leah asked, "Um, I have some flower seeds!"

Chibi perked at that. Flower seeds?

"Oh!" Telly smiled, "You love flowers, don't you, Chibi-Robo?"

 _Yes!_

"Okay, but will you be alright in the rain?" Leah asked.

"I would be concerned about rust, but, we can't really get any more rusty, can we?"

Rose giggled, "We have plenty of oil."

"Yeah. Come on! It'll cheer you up." Leah lifted Chibi into her arms and descended the elevator.

Chibi looked up at her. She was so kind, just like him. Her orange eyes made him think of the nectar flowers in the Sanderson's backyard. Everything about her was calm and warm and inviting, like his pajamas that Mom made for him.

He felt that fluttery feeling come back, and again, he ignored it.

"Oh, hey Leah!" EVE said, "Hey, Chibi-Robo!"

"Good news! These two love flowers!"

EVE seemed to perk at that, "Really!?"

"Actually, we love all plants." Telly corrected, "But flowers do happen to be one of our favorites!"

Chibi was excited. All his own flower seeds were no doubt shriveled to dust by now, and so he was itching to spread life all across the barren wasteland. He had never seen so much bare dirt in his life, and it was bothering him.

"You look excited!" Leah laughed, setting Chibi down and pulling some seeds from the basket EVE was holding, "These are daisy seeds, and these are for rose bushes...there aren't many left thanks to Rose...lilac and lavender, poppies, violets, nightshade and some plum blossoms..." she came to one final seed packet, dropping the others on the dirt below her, "Honeysuckle...this one's my favorite..."

"Why do you like honeysuckle?" another EVE with yellow eyes asked.

"I don't know. I just love the smell, I guess."

"Yeah. I'm never taking scent sensors for granted." EVE agreed, "Come on, Wall-E. Let's go plant some."

"Okaay!"

Chibi watched everyone with curious eyes. He waved his arm in the air.

"Hm?" Leah turned her attention to him.

He pointed to the seeds in her hand.

"You want to plant these?" she asked, "Well...alright. Here ya go."

He took the packet with care and ripped it open. Inside were black seeds a little bigger than his foot.

"Are you going to plant all of them?"

 _Yes!_

"Okay..." Leah seemed uncertain, "Be careful with those..."

He put all the seeds in his head chamber with one swift motion and brought out his spoon. He wasted no time digging holes and planting the seeds, making sure to space them evenly.

Why did he want to plant just honeysuckle?

He brushed the thought from his mind. He just wanted to make her happy, like when he worked for the Sandersons.

That was all.


	5. Chapter 5

Leah watched Chibi plant all the seeds, covering a pretty huge portion of land. Just what kind of robot was he, really? It was interesting to say the least. There was so much about him that she still didn't know. He seemed to be trying to make the most of missing so much of what was happening in the world, but she could tell that he was hurting.

She wished she could talk to him directly, instead of through his friend Telly. Maybe then she could understand.

Chibi finished his work and put the spoon away, watching the grey sky with renewed vigor, but then he slumped again, hugging himself.

Leah hurried over to him, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, pulling out the big frog ring from before.

"Oh..." Telly looked up at Leah, hovering to his friend's side, "He's thinking about Jenny. He used to plant flowers in her window to cheer her up when she went through something traumatic. It made her day every time."

"Jenny?" Leah internally smiled at the name, "Please tell me about her."

"Really? You want to hear about Jenny?"

"Maybe it'll help you feel better."

Telly let a smile cross his mismatched eyes, "Well, we first met Jenny at her eighth birthday party. We were her present. Oh, and we were her _favorite_ present."

Leah giggled at this.

"Anyway, we were at that house for a long time, and Chibi and Jenny became very close. Last we saw her, she was almost seventeen." Telly lay one little arm on Chibi's head, "She had licorice-red hair, and warm brown eyes. I remember this particular green sweater that looked great on her." Telly seemed to be nostalgic over the old memories, "Her voice went from cute and childish to mature. It flowed through your ears like chocolate syrup."

"Aren't you quite the poet." Leah remarked.

"Thanks. I've always been a singer."

"Really?" Rose seemed excited, "Me too!"

"Are you!?" Telly flushed, "Oh! Oh wow! You are!?"

Leah laughed, "Looks like you have a new friend!"

Telly seemed somewhat nervous, "Yeah...u-um...anyway...I admire Jenny because of how she always kept going. No matter what she did, she always did it with a smile."

"She sounds nice."

"She was, but..." Telly became emotional just then, "We're never going to see her again, are we?"

Chibi trembled.

Telly suddenly burst into tears, water pouring from his eyes so fast it made the girls flinch in surprise, _"Jenny...I miss you, Jenny..."_

"Aw..." Rose had an internal struggle for little while, finally finding the strength in her speakers. She sang.

Telly stopped crying immediately. Sure, all the EVEs had the same voice, but the way they used their voices was a bit different for each one. For Rose in particular, her singing voice was smooth as butter and as rich as a caramel left in the sun for too long. It was soft too, like marshmallow creme.

There were no lyrics. Lyrics were not needed.

"OooOoOooo..." Telly cooed, his eyes sparkling, "You have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard..."

Rose's LED screen lit up a little brighter, "Is that true?"

"You've never sung to us before!" Leah exclaimed, "That was beautiful!"

"If only it was a little louder!" EVE came from over the small hill, "I could barely hear it!"

"Sorry..." Rose clasped her hands together, "I'm just so shy..."

"That is adorable!" Telly spun around in circles, "I've never seen someone who's so shy of their own voice! How cuuute!"

Rose's blush deepened even more until her visor was nearly bright pink, "Ummm...thanks..."

"Aw..." Leah let one hand rest on Rose's shoulder, "You're so quiet all the time..."

Rose scratched the back of her head absently, "Well, wow...I-I just wanted to cheer him up...h-he's a singer an' all, so I thought that..."

"Let me sing for you now!" Telly cleared his non-existent throat, "Um, it's been awhile, so be nice! This song is called Teriyaki Blues!"

Chibi seemed to be in silent awe while Telly brought out his microphone and began to sing. To everyone's surprise, it was baritone, and it had a smooth jazz feel, like a saxophone player under a starry sky. Leah mused that with Rose's rich caramel voice and Telly's slow jazz voice, they could make quite the duet.

She hoped she could hear that soon.

"Encore!" Rose's visor had dimmed somewhat, but it was still pretty vivid, "You have such an amazing voice!"

Telly blushed, "Really?"

"It was lovely!" EVE agreed, "You know, not many humans around here are singers. I'm sure they'd appreciate a duet from the best singers on Earth, hm?"

All at once, Telly and Rose were a blubbering mess, "No, nonono, I'm not that good...I may be good but not _thaaat_ good..."

EVE laughed, "Whatever. I was only partially joking." she playfully punched Rose's shoulder before heading back to her new husband.

"Hey, Chibi? Can I ask you something?" Leah smoothly changed the subject.

He looked up at her.

"Why did you only plant the honeysuckle?" she inquired, "Is it because I said it was my favorite?"

Chibi seemed to grow uncomfortable for just a moment before boldly replying, _Yes!_

"Aw! That's so sweet of you!"

Telly's eyes widened, _Leah just gave you fifty Happy points! You got fifty Moolah! Spread the happiness!_

Chibi missed hearing those words.

"Hey Chibi, it would be nice if you planted the other flowers too. I don't want to feel like I'm hogging all the land."

Chibi waved away her concern. She didn't need to feel guilty for nothing.

"Okay." Leah reached her hand out to him, "You wanna go for a walk?" she asked, "Just the two of us?"

Chibi looked at her hand, then her eyes. He nodded, hopping onto her fingers in one deft motion.

Looking back at Telly and Rose one last time, Leah placed another hand around the little metallic robot before heading off into the sky.


	6. Chapter 6

Telly was a little nervous watching them go. Would Chibi-Robo be fine by himself with Leah? Without him? But more importantly, how would he talk to Rose?

Telly wasn't sure what to say at first, and so he kind of just sat in uncomfortable silence with Rose. Finally, she said, "Wanna see my rose garden?"

Telly was relieved for the ice breaker, "Yes please!"

Rose relaxed, "Follow me."

Telly followed after her, watching as the dust curved around her body, as her arms cut through the air. Telly found himself being unable to focus on much else. He'd never seen such a beautiful robot. The shine off her white body glowed mystically, and her hot pink eyes made him feel a certain fondness.

"Right here." Rose lowered into a gorgeous haven of red rose bushes. She took one of the blossoms in her hands, "Oh. You're looking much healthier now."

"They're lovely." Telly said, hovering closer to the blooming flowers.

"I know." Rose let her fingers glaze over a few more roses, rustling the leaves a little bit, "They're my little lovelies." she giggled.

Telly hovered around more of the roses, "How often do you tend to this garden?"

"Um...pretty much all day every day..."

"What? Don't you get lonely?"

"Well, no..." Rose moved on to more roses, just checking on them, "I have my roses, and Leah likes to visit. I sing to them, and I bring humans here sometimes because the air is good for them..."

Telly's heart reached out to her, "You're lonely here, aren't you?"

Rose dropped her head, "I'm so shy! I don't like talking to people because it just makes me freeze! I was built for finding plantlife, not making conversation!" Rose shook her head slowly, "No...no, I like keeping to myself."

Telly looked at the roses again, humming Teriyaki Blues to himself. When Rose moved on to another bush, Telly followed and hovered in front of her, where she could see him, "Would you like me to spend time here with you?"

Rose frowned her sad frown, "You would do that?"

Telly saluted, "I wouldn't mind spending a few hours here with you! I should get back to Chibi-Robo soon, but I'll give you someone to talk to for awhile!"

Rose smiled, "You're quite the chatterbox, aren't you?"

Telly frowned, "I'm sorry, should I stop?"

"Oh no! That's not what I meant!" Rose laughed, really laughed, "I like it."

"You do?"

"Yes. Keep talking. Talk about whatever you want, I don't care."

"Oh! You don't want to give me permission to talk..."

"No, I'm serious. If I get annoyed, I'll tell you to stop."

Telly looked at her incredulously, "But you're so shy..."

"Hey, I can be aggressive if I want to be." and though it was true, it still felt like a lie, "Just talk. I'm curious about you anyway."

"Okay, but once I'm done, I'm going to ask you about yourself, so be prepared!"

She laughed again, it felt great, "Alright. I'm not much of a talker, but go ahead."

* * *

Leah stopped near a grassy field. The rain clouds had cleared out and the setting sun was casting beams of light over the landscape. It was quite a sight to behold.

She set Chibi down on a crate and then set herself on the ground next to it, leaning her side into the wooden box, "It's so nice out here. I like to relax in this place when the day is over. My back always gives me trouble for some reason." a soft sparking sound was heard in Leah's system and she winced, "Ugh..."

Chibi-Robo sat down and looked over the area. He was beginning to get used to the new world around him, but he still longed for the days when grass covered all the dirt and flowers grew everywhere. The sky was no longer blue, the clouds no longer white. It was all brown.

He ached inside.

"I wish I could grow things..." Leah continued, "I'm the only one out of my four sisters that can't garden. I'm just not patient enough to focus on it."

Chibi continued to listen. He was intrigued.

"I don't know. Plants just can't hold my attention anymore." she popped her back again, "I have no idea why." Leah slid until she was lying down, "Rose can sing, Aya has good people skills, Rio can fight really well, Eve is intelligent and observant, and all of them can garden."

Chibi felt his ache grow stronger;

"I'm just not special..."

Chibi was quick to grab her attention.

"Huh? What is it?" Leah asked.

Chibi made sure she was watching before jumping off the crate.

She gasped, catching him before he was anywhere near the ground, "What'd you do that for!?"

He just tapped his foot.

"Huh?"

He shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself and swaying back and forth.

"Oh...kindness?" Leah set him down and crossed her arms under her chin, "That doesn't count as a skill..."

Chibi was almost angry at that. He shook his head again, pulling out a notepad and a pencil, which Telly had suggested he carry with him in case they ever got separated and Chibi had to talk to someone. They were almost pristine since they were in his wormhole of a head compartment the whole time he was out. He began to make long smooth strokes across the page, taking extra care around the bumps created by the box below him. He first sketched out rather crudely a figure that was yelling and a figure who was quiet.

He paused, leaning against the pencil and gesturing to the drawing.

"Loud and soft?"

He nodded, starting another sketch of a group of people around one figure. All the people were smiling. Again, he stopped to gesture to it.

"Is that a soft person in the middle?"

He gave another nod, beginning to write. His handwriting was atrocious, but he did what he could with what he could do:

 _kindnes is a butiful thin. don lat anyon tell you difrent._

Leah shook her head, "No, you can't possibly mean that, can you?"

Chibi set the pencil down and rolled it around under his foot. He then pushed it away, placing both hands on his metal chest.

 _Kindness is a superpower._ he thought, spreading his arms out and bringing them back, hugging himself tightly, _You bring people together._

Leah watched one more moment before answering, "I think I get it...I help form bonds between people, is that what you're saying?"

He smiled, placing a hand to the side of his head (like he was cupping an ear), before letting his arm fall again.

"I'm a great listener? Yeah. Eve taught me how to find meaning without words. She learned it from Wall-E. He's - shall we say - a man of few words."

Yeah, he had noticed. The only time that robot ever spoke was when he thought motions alone wouldn't cut it. He had a voice to use if needed, unlike Chibi, who was completely mute.

He was proud of himself for being so well-spoken without even speaking at all.

"Hey, Chibi...I've never told anyone that...I guess I'm assuming you won't be able to tell anyone else, and...I have been pretty lonely as of late..."

Chibi sat down again, urging her to continue.

"You're such a great listener, Chibi..." Leah shakily sighed, "...sometimes...I just talk to nobody...the Earth is a great listener...Mother Nature doesn't discriminate..." she lay back, "...It feels nice now...you know, since you can actually hear me..."

Chibi felt that fluttering in his chest again. Maybe...

He took out his Chibi-Copter and floated down to the ground. Putting the propellers away, he lay down next to Leah's head.

"Hey, Chibi." Leah giggled, "Look at all the stars. Aren't they lovely?"

He looked up...

Trillions of teeny tiny dots coated the night sky. It was just like Telly said; they dusted the sky like glitter. It looked nothing like the night sky he saw in the Sanderson's backyard 794 years ago. He turned his head to look at Leah.

All the lights seemed to reflect off the shiny surface of her white metal and her black visor, the orange of her eyes adding another layer of color to the whole scene. She made eye contact and he quickly looked away.

There it was again, stronger than ever.

Was it possible? Was he...

"Chibi? You okay?"

He couldn't keep himself still. No, steady...steady...

Leah seemed to blush a light orange, "I should go home. My sisters will miss me."

 _Take me too?_ Chibi automatically thought.

"You wanna come?"

 _Yes!_

"Alright. Let's go." She lifted him up again and carried him off.

What was wrong with him?


	7. Chapter 7

Chibi-Robo watched everyone sleep, swinging his legs over the shelf. He had tried to sleep himself, but he was violently jerked awake by a scary thought. What if he suddenly woke up and it had been another several centuries!? After all, he didn't sleep often, and he had never slept all night before. Who's to say that he'd see the end of the world if that happened again!?

No. He was too afraid. He would never sleep again.

Instead, he explored the inside of the truck. He had learned the nicknames of all the EVEs, and he was told not to move anything from their places on the shelves by EVE, because it would upset WALL-E if anything was out of place. Though, there was plenty of other stuff to occupy his time.

"Can't sleep?"

Telly.

"Me neither...last I went to sleep...well..." Telly looked downwards, "I'm just glad that you're okay..."

Chibi tilted his head to the side.

"I don't like that old memory..." Telly sounded close to tears, "...it was so scary..."

 _Telly shakily awoke, his eyelids feeling heavy and sticky. He was in a small cardboard box, neatly folded and packed away. He was tired and groggy, but he tried to wake himself up. The box around him was jostling violently, like he was in the backseat of a car._

 _What was laying next to him got him to sit bolt-upright._

 _"Ch-Ch-Chibi-R-Robo!?" Telly exclaimed, "Chibi-Robo! Please wake up!"_

 _He didn't stir._

 _"No!_ No! _" Telly pushed against the top of the box, "Lemme out! Help! Someone help me! Please! Anyone!"_

 _No one heard him. His cries bounced off empty walls._

"No..." _Telly stopped to look down at Chibi-Robo, his best friend,_ "Don't leave me...don't leave me all alone..."

 _He was trapped with his friend, and he wasn't even moving. He was out of power._

 _"No...please..." Telly began to cry, "...please don't leave me...I don't want to be alone...don't leave me all alone again!"_

 _Still. No reaction._

 _"This isn't funny, Chibi-Robo!" Telly scolded tearfully, "You'd better wake up now! Please! I beg of you!" Telly loudly sobbed,_ "PLEASE DON'T LET ME BE ALL ALONE! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!"

 _Chibi continued to sleep peacefully while Telly cried over him, slowly draining all his energy until he switched off, never to wake up again for hundreds of years._

* * *

Chibi was dumbfounded. He didn't know that Telly was awake after he fell asleep and tried in vain to wake him up. Never had he felt so guilty for something that wasn't even his fault.

"I thought I was dying..." Telly floated even lower, "...I thought that was the end...my biggest fear has always been being all alone, that's why I'm grateful that my model was packaged with yours..." he gently nudged into Chibi, "I was extremely nervous about letting you go with Leah by yourself, but she's so kind I couldn't refuse her..." Telly tried to stop the tears from falling, "...is that pathetic?"

"No!"

"Heheh...you're so kind...I just..." Telly gave a sad shake of his head (or his entire body), "I don't know, it just terrifies me."

Chibi nodded, understanding. He didn't like being alone all the time either, though Telly was a huge social butterfly. Denying him social interaction is like denying a fish water. It works. Chibi is a listener, and Telly likes to be listened to. Chibi was introverted while Telly was extroverted.

And the fact that Telly was so alone...

Chibi took out his Drake Redcrest toothbrush he still had and began to scrub the shelf he was on.

"Oh! Be careful! You don't want to fall!"

 _I'll be fine..._ Chibi inwardly rolled his eyes. He was grateful that Telly cared for him, but he had a tendency to worry a lot.

"Can I stay up with you?" Telly asked, "I don't think I can ever sleep again..."

 _Yes!_ was the reply. Of course Chibi wanted to listen to him. He didn't want to deny him someone to talk to.

Never again.

* * *

"Leah?"

REBOOT

"Ugh..." Leah stretched her arms out, "Sorry. Did I sleep in?"

"A little bit." EVE rummaged the shelves of the truck, looking for something, "The others are up ahead at the encampment area. They're trying to build a neighborhood."

"Okay. I'll catch up with them soon." Leah's eyes scanned the shelves, "Where's Chibi-Robo?"

"I don't know. I figured he left with the others." EVE finally found what she was looking for; a mechanical cartridge, "It's so clean in here! Everything is sparkling!"

Leah watched her sister leave before looking around the truck. Nothing was out of place, but the floor and the edges of the shelves were pristine. Some of the rusty paint had been chipped off, showing the grey metal underneath. EVE was right, the truck was cleaner than it had been in 700 years.

Leah left out the open door of the truck, looking around, "Chibi-Robo? Are you there?"

She picked up a small radio signal and instinctively turned towards it. Chibi was hiding among the flowers EVE had planted around the truck. He had a radar sticking out from inside his head compartment. He was so cute peeking out from beneath the leaves.

"That's a clever way to grab my attention!" Leah smiled, "What are you doing out here?"

Chibi showed off a squirter filled with water.

"Watering the garden?" Leah replied, "Hey, um...did you clean up the inside of the truck?"

 _Yes!_

"Really!? I didn't know you were a maid-bot too!"

He squinted at her disapprovingly.

"Who are you talking to?" the voice of Telly could be heard before he appeared around one of the blossoms, "Oh! Hello, Leah!"

"Telly, just what kind of robot is Chibi-Robo?"

Telly shifted under a morning glory vine, "He's a happiness-bot! It doesn't matter what he does, as long as he gets the Happy points!"

"Happy points, huh?" Leah glanced to the side, over the hill where the encampment area was, "Hey, the humans are working on recolonization efforts, you wanna come help out?"

"Well, there isn't really much we can do since we're so small." Telly explained, "But we'll do our best!"

"Okay! Come on, Chibi!" Leah scooped him up, watching him wobble for a moment before settling in the palm of her hand. She carefully carried him to the neighborhood, Telly close behind. The neighborhood so far was a few houses being built from materials and blueprints from a different starliner. They were very old.

"There you are!" EVE said as Leah approached, "Ready to help the humans?"

"Absolutely! I hope you don't mind me bringing Chibi and Telly along."

"Oh, not at all!" EVE smiled sweetly, "Come on, the others have already started."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chibi watched for a moment while Giga-Robo played with Jenny. Her little 10-year-old hands were working with soft colored pencils, the scratching sound calming in the quiet room. Giga waited patiently while she worked, smiling up at him when she was finished. She put the pencil down and showed the drawing to Giga. He gestured for Chibi to come beside himself._

 _Chibi was definitely curious, so he wasted no time looking at the drawing._

 _"Do you like it?" Jenny asked sweetly._

 _The drawing was a portrait of Giga, softly and neatly shaded. What was cool about it was there were lights in his eyes, and the highlights were light blue while the shadows were deep pink. Giga had no color anywhere on his body, but Jenny managed to put so much of it into her picture._

 _Chibi was silent for just a moment longer before replying,_ Yes!

 _"I think it's a little sad that you guys aren't colorful, so I put lots of color here!"_

 _Chibi could tell, Giga was swelling with pride. He pointed to the drawing, making as though to take it._

 _"You want it?" Jenny asked, "What are you gonna do with it?"_

 _Giga scooped up the picture and stood, trudging to the cabinet nearby. He retrieved some tape from it and stuck it across the sides of the picture. He then took the paper to the most noticeable wall in the room (the wall behind the tv) and stuck it there. It was haphazardly done, but the drawing was now in a place it could be seen by all._

 _"Oh! Hold on!" Jenny grabbed a regular pencil from her stash and signed her name at the bottom of the paper, "There. Now it's perfect."_

"Chibi-Robo?"

Chibi was pulled from his flashback rather abruptly by Leah's voice.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Yeah," Telly added, "you seem to be lost in thought."

Chibi looked around, remembering that he was in the neighborhood that was still under construction. He stood up straight, gesturing to himself and then raising his arms in the air.

"What...?" Telly suddenly jumped in realization, "Oh! You mean Giga-Robo!?"

 _Yes!_

"Oh!"

"Tell me about Giga-Robo." Leah said, a hammer in one head.

"Well, Giga-Robo is an older model by Citrusoft, the same company that made Chibi-Robo." Telly explained while Leah kept building, "Chibi and Giga were very close. It makes sense that Chibi would be worried about him..." he gasped suddenly, "Oh my goodness! Is Giga-Robo still alive!?"

"Well, you two were." Leah said without thinking.

"We should look for him!" Telly was beginning to panic, "Who knows what happened to him!? Where on Earth could he be!?"

"Whoa! Telly!" Rose hurried to where they were, "Calm down! What's wrong!?"

Chibi kind of tuned out after that, just watching Rose try and calm his best friend.

"Chibi?"

He looked up at Leah.

"Would you feel better if we found your friend?"

 _Yes!_

"Alright. I'll ask Eve about it, okay?"

There was that feeling again. Chibi found himself becoming extremely uncomfortable with it. He was unfamiliar with the feeling, and though it was a warm and cozy feeling, he didn't like being surprised. He didn't like being out of his element.

He remembered the way the stars reflected off of her, complimenting the orange color of her eyes.

He turned his head away as she got back to work. What did all of this mean?

* * *

"Everyone! Stop what you're doing!"

"What!?" Leah nearly dropped the drill she was holding, "Eve, what's going on!?"

"No time to explain! Just gather everyone up and follow me!" EVE seemed to be angry, but Leah could tell she was just afraid.

"Did you hear that, Chibi?" Leah grabbed him, letting her tool drop to the ground, "We should hurry. Eve doesn't mess around."

Chibi had noticed that. EVE had a very demanding air about her when she was serious. It was clear she was a leader.

Chibi felt his eyes widen. All the robots he had seen so far were simplistic in design, with hovers or treads or wheels. But these robots were vicious. They were bipedal, with large claws and glowing eyes. They even had mouths with long, sharp, steel teeth.

"OHMYGOSHLOOKATTHESIZEOFTHOSETHINGS!" Telly screamed.

EVE and Rio weren't fazed, meanwhile Rose and Aya were apprehensive. Leah was just scared. She didn't shoot a single bullet while carnage was going on around her, preferring to help out fallen allies. Most of the fighters were stewards, but the sisters were actively trying to get rid of the threat before it got out of hand.

And then, just as soon as they appeared, the monster-bots were reduced to scrap on the ground.

"Whew..." EVE sheathed her weapon, "That's the third attack this week..."

"How can you say that so casually!?" Telly cried, "That nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Nah...this is just another Friday afternoon for me..." EVE waved off his concern, "Though, it is odd that the attacks are so frequent...Leah, can you run these guys to the lab for me? The rest of us will get back to work."

"Evah?" WALL-E tugged on her hand, "Leeeah?"

"You want to go with her?" EVE asked quizzically, "Oh, alright. I'll let you go, but hurry back!" she leaned close to him and a little spark passed between their eyes. He sighed as EVE got back to work along with the other robots.

Chibi was fascinated. He had never seen such a soft spark between two robots before. Was that the equivalent of a kiss?

Leah grabbed a hovering cart from the side of one unfinished building and set Chibi down on one of the the seats at the front. She then loaded a few of the dead machine killers onto the cart and mounted it herself, "We're going to stop by the Axiom again. Is that okay?"

Chibi settled himself in the metal seat, _Yes!_


	9. Chapter 9

WALL-E jumped on the back of the cart with the cargo, and then they were on their way. Telly decided to stay behind with Rose, waving once the three of them were almost out of sight. Chibi was captivated by all the technology on the Axiom, just looking at all the lights and moving patterns. There wasn't a lot actually going on, but he imagined that this used to be a bustling metropolis. Leah led the cart to a room labeled, _RESEARCH LAB_ in bold letters, and began loading the robots off the cart. WALL-E helped out a little, but he was mostly looking over Chibi, curiosity evident in his eyes.

Chibi instead turned his attention to Leah, who moved the robots through the scanner on the machine in the room. She worked quickly and efficiently, her eyes sharp with concentration. Chibi was frozen in silent awe as she typed on the computer so fast her hands were just a blur in Chibi's vision. It nearly made his head spin. After one final click of the keyboard, she hovered back to the cart, "Alright, you two! Let's head back!"

WALL-E gave Chibi a strange look before jumping back on the cart. Meanwhile, Chibi was mystified. He made a typing motion with his arms.

"Oh, that." Leah smiled sheepishly, "I'm a programmer. I word with code like an artist with paint."

Chibi widened his eye as the cart pulled out, then he glared at her.

"What?"

The cart wheeled through the ship while Leah returned Chibi's incredulous stare, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Chibi didn't break eye-contact while he retrieved the notepad from before. He finally looked away so he could write, _talant speceal!_

"Oh...oh, um..." Leah scratched the back of her head nervously, "Plenty of robots can program, it's not that special a skill..."

Chibi just narrowed his eyes again before drawing a picture of a flower and another of a computer. Then, he put an equals sign between them.

Both are special. Both are important.

Leah sighed, "Chibi..."

He waved his arm in the air to shush her, then he put away his things. The rest of the ride back was quiet.

Leah was thinking. She had never told anyone her insecurities before, not even Rose, who she considered her closest friend.

Well, she wasn't super close with anyone really...

She didn't understand why she trusted Chibi with such information. Sure he was quiet, but that didn't mean he couldn't communicate. Maybe she was tired of keeping those thoughts to herself, or maybe she just knew that Chibi would understand and tell her that she was actually special.

She admired him.

Maybe a little more than she was fully aware of.

* * *

"More and more of them are appearing out of nowhere." EVE was talking about the attackers, "If this keeps up, we might have to halt construction!"

"Well, what do we do about it?" Rose asked.

"Well, Wall-E actually noticed something that I can't believe I missed!" EVE massaged her forehead, "But all the robots are coming from the same place...A7-B2-CAS."

" _That_ ship!?" Leah exclaimed, trembling, "Oh no..."

Chibi noticed her distress, using his Chibi-Radar to grab her attention.

"Oh, Chibi..." Leah seemed startled, but she didn't comment on it, "That ship declared war on us!"

He felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. They declared war!?

"Yeah. I know." Leah watched EVE console the humans, "It was really hard on all of us...so many people and robots died...it'll take a long time to recover from that tragedy..."

Chibi didn't know how to respond to that.

"That sounds horrible!" Telly told her, "I'm sorry for your loss..."

"It's fine, it happened years ago..." Leah shook her head, "Nevermind. I wonder what EVE is thinking of...?"

Whatever it was, Chibi was ready to help.

"Oh! Leah!" EVE jumped to her, "Your hacking skills will come in handy here. Everyone else, back to work, protect the humans and each other, blah blah, okay, let's go."

Leah lagged behind EVE so she could whisper to Chibi, "Yeah, she doesn't mess around..."

He couldn't suppress a mute laugh.


	10. Chapter 10

EVE peered around a corner, "Okay, the coast is clear."

"Eve, Forthright isn't here anymore." Aya told her, "Don't you think you're being a little paranoid?"

"I'm not taking any chances." EVE retorted, "And anyway, this is where those robots are coming from. Stay on high alert."

Leah followed close behind her sisters. Rio was also with them, but Rose had stayed behind to help in the neighborhood with Telly. Chibi couldn't stop staring at all the burnt metal around them. This starliner was clearly abandoned.

It was creepy.

"Let's just get in and get out." Rio said, "I don't wanna spend more time in this creepy place than I have to..."

"Same..." Leah said.

"Shhh..." EVE hushed, "I thought I heard something..."

All the girls tensed, which made Chibi nervous. Everything was silent for a beat, then something fell. EVE shot at it, white-hot plasma spraying from her cannon arm. Chibi's heart lurched.

Near where EVE had shot, there was another EVE Probe, this one black in color with red eyes. Her cannon was brandished and pointing at them.

EVE growled in annoyance, "Ruby!?"

"Eve!" Ruby sheathed her weapon, "I thought you were going to kill me!"

"I almost did!" EVE put away her laser and moved her hands around in a frustrated manner, "What are you doing here!?" she hissed.

"The same reason you are! I'm looking for the robot generator!"

"They're spawning from a generator!?" EVE watched every entrance and exit, "Where are they!?"

"I have no idea!" Ruby looked like she was boiling with rage, "I can't find it anywhere!"

Chibi was confused, and extremely frightened. Leah picked up on this and stroked the top of his head with her finger, "It's okay. I'll explain later."

"Who's that!?" Ruby demanded.

"This is Chibi-Robo." Leah said, "He's a friend." he was still frozen, "I think you scared him."

"Yeah, I tend to do that..." Ruby tried to calm herself, "I'm Ruby. That's R-U-B-Y, got it?"

A crash could be heard in another room.

"Come on..." EVE brandished her laser once more, "Let's go check that out..."

Chibi had had enough. He used his copter to jump out of Leah's hands to try and fly away.

"Wait! Chibi don't do that!"

He'd never run so fast. He simply grabbed his plug and bolted. He was brave, but those robots from before were twenty times bigger than him! Plus he already had the fear shot up his throat when EVE blasted out of nowhere and revealed Ruby, so as a last-ditch effort, he ran.

"Chibi! Stop it! _Stop!_ "

He couldn't hear. Something was making him want to get out.

Leah called again, "CHIBI!"

Chibi was knocked back by an upgraded robot, taller than the first model with spider legs and mounted guns for arms. Leah watched Chibi get tossed aside like he was nothing more than scrap metal before she and her sisters were gunned down.

" _CHIBI! NO!_ "

* * *

Chibi forced his cameras to focus in the darkness. He could barely see much of anything, and the fog in his consciousness wasn't helping. As soon as he was fully awake again, he took his plug again and resumed running.

 _Stop._

He scolded himself, grinding to a halt, _Those girls are in danger and you're just going to leave them!?_

He wanted to run again, but he forced himself to stay still until he could calm down. Calm enough that he could think straight.

He reassessed the situation. If he left, he could get help, but how long would that take? He wasn't exactly a star athlete, and his battery was almost down to low levels. It would make much more sense to find them just to make sure they were okay, and then they could finish the job on their own. On the other hand, trying to escape and going deeper in had their own risks, but he tried to imagine that since he was so small, he could sneak by without anyone noticing.

The biggest factor was his fear.

He'd never felt such crippling terror, even when he went against the queen of the spydorz. Even when Mr. Sanderson stuck a dangerous tool into his Chibi-Blaster he was able to remain somewhat calm. What had gotten into him? It shocked him how he'd reacted to everything.

Well, now that he was calm, he wasn't afraid anymore.

He almost laughed to himself. _If only Telly was here to keep me out of trouble..._

* * *

Leah felt the socket where her right arm once sat. It was torn from her body when the robots were unsuccessful in killing them, and they resorted to more brutal means of execution. She hadn't seen Chibi in all that time. Was he okay? He hadn't seemed okay...

She was stuck in a magnetic rail with Rio, EVE, and Aya. Ruby was in a magnetic cage, constantly struggling with the lock.

"Could you shut up already!?" Rio huffed, "I don't want you making that noise in a situation where I can't run away!"

"Ugh!" Ruby hit the lock violently, "This thing is impossible!"

"Well then stop struggling with it!" EVE retorted.

"Can _everyone_ stop, please?" Aya asked, slightly annoyed.

"Not until I get this cage open!" Ruby replied, "I've always been good with locks, you know!"

"Apparently not this one!" Rio growled.

"What a big happy family we got here..." Leah mumbled to herself. She just then caught sight of something running across the floor. It quickly climbed onto the computer on the far wall and began typing commands into it. Immediately, the magnetism released and the girls were free.

"Oh! Got it!" Ruby got the lock open and exited the cage, "See? As soon as the magnetism was gone, I was out!"

Leah recognized the shape that had freed them, "Chibi!" she scooped him up, "You saved us!"

Killer robots began flooding the room, but the girls were able to take them out no problem.

"Chibi..." Leah said, "You saved me...thank you..."

And then she kissed him.


	11. Chapter 11

"I wonder if Chibi-Robo is alright..." Telly mumbled.

"That's the fifth time you've said that!" Rose hammered another nail, "Calm down!"

"I'm sorry, I just worry so much!" Telly fretted, "You see, I have to worry about him! The bot's not afraid of anything! I have to be there to keep him safe!"

"I understand, but too much worrying is unhealthy. Just have faith in him, like how I have faith that Leah will keep him safe."

"Okay..." Telly tried to calm his rapid processor, "Okay...I'm calm..."

"Good!" Rose giggled, fiddling with another nail.

"Chibi-Robo!"

"Telly, what did I just-!" Rose caught sight of her sisters, Leah noticeably holding a little brown and silver robot.

"Chibi-Robo Chibi-Robo Chibi-Robo!" Telly hurried to him as Leah set him down on the ground, "How dare you make me worry! You were gone for so long I was afraid that...Chibi-Robo...?"

Chibi looked very dizzy, his closed eyes spinning around and around.

"Chibi-Robo? Are you okay?"

Chibi swayed on his feet, finally collapsing in the dirt.

"What? What happened?" Telly looked around until his lopsided optics fell on Leah, who was flushed and giggling, blubbering nonsense to Rose. Rose's eyes widened as she took her sister's hands, and soon, both of them were a mess.

What had gotten them so flustered?

Whatever. He needed to get Chibi to an outlet.

* * *

E-ER-R-ROR-R.

Chibi began to feel electricity flow through his system. What had happened? Well, he knew what happened, he was kissed by Le-ERROR! The dizziness came back full-force. It wasn't really the kiss itself. It felt nice... _really_ nice...but that isn't what had gotten him so flustered. That isn't what made him dizzy enough that his head spun faster than his Chibi-Coptor blades.

He finally found the strength to stand, spinning his head so it was on straight.

"Chibi-Robo..." Telly said, "...what happened...?"

Chibi blinked. That's not what Telly usually said when he fell on the job.

Telly looked at him very seriously, "Tell me what happened."

Chibi couldn't really think about it. It was such an overwhelming feeling, he wasn't used to it. It made his hydraulics boil and his battery acid steam.

Finally, he put his hand to his face and moved it away.

Telly's eyes widened, "What...? Leah...she kissed you...?"

Hearing it out loud made the feeling flow back ten fold.

"Ooohhh..." Telly was dumbfounded, then excited, "You're in love!?"

What?

"You're in love!" Telly spun around in circles, "Chibi-Robo is in love! Chibi-Robo is in love!"

Chibi felt his legs give out. It took all his strength to stay on his folded legs and not on his side. He was feeling sick.

"-in love! Chibi-Robo's in..." he trailed off, "Chibi-Robo, are you okay?"

Chibi's held a hand to his throbbing head.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt sick.

The more confused he became.

* * *

"You did _what!?_ "

"I can't believe I actually did it!" Leah was saying, her face flushed, "I was just so grateful he saved us and so happy he was okay that...I don't know! I was so scared that he was hurt!"

EVE shook her head, a smile playing on her visor, "Sounds like my first kiss with Wall-E. That was the first time I felt fear and success."

"Yeah. You've told that story before." Leah squeezed her eyes shut, "Eek! I'm so embarrassed!"

"Haha! Alright, calm down." EVE gave her a rough pat on the back, "Let's get back to the problem at hand."

"Right. Sorry. Ehem."

"So, the generator." Aya said, "Ruby, how did you know it was a generator?"

"Because I found it and tried to destroy it!" Ruby replied, "The ratchets chased me out before I could even make a mark!"

"Ruby! Language!" Aya scolded.

"Oh, cool off..." Ruby spat.

"Guys! Stop!" EVE demanded, "This isn't helping!"

"Eve?" Rose asked softly, "What if it escalates like last time?"

They were quiet.

"No no!" EVE tried to calm her suddenly panicked sisters, "It won't come to that!"

"You have me on your team this time!" Ruby seethed.

"But what if Forthright is still alive...?" Rose whispered in EVE's ear.

"No! She's dead! I saw her body! All the computers are dead! There's no way she survived!"

"No! Don't you get it!?" Aya exclaimed, "She's going to magically survive because it's a part of the storytelling process!"

EVE flattened her eyelids, "You watch too much old tv."

"Shut up! Me and my laserdiscs are legit!" Aya crossed her arms, "The author is stupid that way!"

Hey! I resent that remark!

"Besides, Forthright's death was too sudden and we don't know much about her and-!"

EVE slowly pushed her away and turned back to everyone else, "Okay, so what's our plan?"

"Um..." Rio glanced again at Aya, "Okay...Ruby, what kind of generator was it?"

"It was a multiplier of sorts." Ruby explained, grateful for the distraction from Aya's continued rambling, "It was packed with all kinds of dangerous metals and gizmos, it was almost hard to watch. I don't know whether the robots were building materials or other robots or themselves. Everything was so hectic."

"Did you see where the materials came together?" EVE inquired.

"No."

"Then we need to be cautious around it." EVE concluded, "We'll set off at dawn. In the meantime, I'm going to run diagnostics on the scrap robots we already have while you guys check up with the repair ward."

"Ugh...that place again?" Rio complained, "We checked up with them _last_ week!"

"I'm not taking any chances!" EVE replied, a little stern, "I'll join you myself when I'm done. No one's getting out of this, unless you're okay with staying here while the rest of us go!"

Rio huffed, "No, of course not."

"Okay." EVE gave one finalizing glare over her sisters before leaving, "I have work to do."


	12. Chapter 12

Chibi lay awake in the truck, staring at the ceiling. He had calmed somewhat from before, but he was still confused. He still couldn't understand what he was feeling, but the more he felt it, the more he liked it. He soon found himself welcoming the feeling. Is this what love felt like?

Is that what it is? Did he love Leah?

He shook his head almost pitifully. How cliché. In all the stories he'd ever heard, all of them seemed to have some romantic subplot. He and Leah just had a special connection. They both reveled in making others happy, and they both enjoyed nature. They were both kind and quiet, they were both introverted, they were both brave in hard situations, and they just...seemed to agree. They had certain differences, like Leah was insecure while Chibi is proud of himself, but those only seemed to make their bond stronger. After all, EVE and WALL-E were an unlikely match, but it's clear that they love each other very much.

He was jolted from his thoughts when he saw a flash of orange in his vision. He pretended to be asleep while Leah looked around, quietly slipping out of the truck and into the early morning mist.

 _What is she doing up?_ Chibi wondered to himself. He scrambled onto his feet and climbed to the hole in the roof, using his radar before she could get too far away. Leah gasped, turning to the familiar signal.

"Chibi!" she hissed, "What are you doing!? You're gonna wake everyone!"

 _No!_ he signed. He crossed his arms, but not before pointing firmly at himself and then at her.

"No! You can't come with me!" Leah quietly scolded him, "Why are you awake anyway?"

He ignored the question, instead daring to try something drastic. He took out his radar, challenging her.

"You wouldn't..."

He glared at her, as if to say, _Try me._

"Chibi, I'm begging you; put the radar away, and go back to sleep."

He didn't budge.

"Chibi, I won't repeat myself." Leah's patience was wearing thin, "This is something only I can do. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I don't want you getting involved where you could be in danger. I..." she paused, looking for the right words, "...I...I really care about you, Chibi..."

Chibi's expression changed from angry to sad, but he still wouldn't move.

"Chibi..."

He finally put the radar away, just so he could show his _No!_ sign again and hold it there.

They stared at each other for a long time.

"Fine! You can come!" Leah replied, almost desperately, "Just please! Don't wake anyone up!"

Chibi broke his glare and put his sign away. He carefully let Leah pick him up, and she held him close to her.

"Please be quiet." Leah told him, zooming off, "And please keep yourself calm. This is a stealth mission."

* * *

Leah fiddled with the door before it swiftly opened up to her, "I know it's dangerous here without the others, but I don't want anyone to get hurt." she whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "I've already figured this whole place out, so it would be faster if I just did it on my own."

 _Are you sure that's a good idea?_ Chibi thought.

They were back in the ship, traversing the dark corridors that reeked of oil and burnt metal. Chibi's metal skin was crawling.

"Okay." Leah breathed, right in his ear, "I need you to cooperate with me, Chibi. Don't make a sound."

Not that he was loud, but he nodded regardless.

"Good." she pushed an old door slowly, cringing when the hinges squeaked, "Almost..."

And then they were in. Chibi couldn't believe his eyes.

Just beyond the door was a giant machine in the middle of a room that was four stories tall. It was huge and mechanic, and it smelled strongly of gasoline. Glowing liquid metal flowed in one side and killer robots were pouring out the other side. gears and gadgets were spinning and cranking, while dials were whirling and turning. It was a huge industrial factory.

"Oh..." Leah narrowed her eyes, "We have to shut it down. Ready, Chibi?"

He didn't respond at first, but quickly displayed his _Yes!_ sign.

Leah gave a slight nod, hovering to the railing along one side of the walkway. The machine seemed to dig into the floor underneath them, suggesting it was connected to the rest of the ship somehow. What kind of starliner had this kind of machine in it anyway? What was Shelby Forthright thinking when this ship was built?

Leah explored the room as best she could without being spotted, though that was tricky seeing as their sightlines limited Leah's maneuverability. While this was happening, Chibi watched Leah expression. She was extremely nervous, her digital "eyelids" pressed down in silent worry. There were numerous times where she had to stop and calm herself because she was shaking violently. They finally found the master control room and Leah set Chibi down so she could type.

"Okay...the quantum conductor is at 300%..." she was mumbling, "This is dangerous, but we can manage...um..." she paused her typing as she frowned, "Wait...this isn't right...abort..."

Chibi watched her fingers move. Again, she had that uneasiness to her.

"Almost got it..." she squinted in concentration, "Aaand...there!"

 _"All systems shutting down."_

"Cool. Let's go, Chibi..."

There was a sound in the hallway.

Leah gasped, peeking out of the room, "Crap!" she grabbed Chibi and noticed some white machines along one wall. With no time to think, she went over there to hide among them, "Chibi, I'm going to put you in my stasis chamber! Don't move! I'm extremely ticklish!" the next thing he knew, he was swept up in a stasis beam and surrounded by white.

He held as still as he could. Leah went into her dormant form while a small robot resembling a GO-4 attended the keyboard. They were lucky it wasn't a robot with better senses. Meanwhile, Chibi was trying _so hard_ to stay still, but he had to move around. He was always restless when he had to stay stationary, even when it wasn't for very long. He couldn't help it, his foot slid.

Leah felt it, and tried to stifle a laugh. The GO-4 didn't hear, but the jostling motion just caused Chibi to move more and more. Finally, the GO-4 left, closing the door behind him.

Leah ejected Chibi from her chamber, "HAHAHAHAAA! Chibi! I told you to hold sti-i-iiil!"

He had landed on his front. He spun around and listened to her laughter. It was such a beautiful robotic melody. He would have sighed if he had a voice.

"Ha ha haaa...oh...okay..." Leah rubbed her visor, "Let's just get out of here, and whatever you do, _never_ tell my sisters that I'm ticklish! They'd never let me hear the end of it..."

He made a smooth motion across his face with his hand, under his eyes.

"Good...now let's get out of here..."


	13. Chapter 13

Leah carefully set Chibi down, "Okay, I don't know how you got up, but please go back down! I need to take care of something else."

 _What!? No!_ Chibi clung to her hand, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Chibi, let me go."

 _No!_ he tugged against her, threatening with his radar again.

"No don't!" Leah stopped to breathe (metaphorically), "Look...I understand your concern, but...this is _my_ burden, okay?"

He wouldn't let up.

"Let me go? Please?"

 _No!_

"Chibi..."

He brandished his radar again, _I'm not letting you go._

"Chibi...Chibi..." Leah almost looked close to tears, "Okay...fine...I'll stay here...I'm tired anyway..."

Chibi put the Chibi-Radar away, satisfied. Leah scooped him up again and placed him on the shelf inside, "Sleep well, okay?"

 _Yes!_ Chibi lay on the shelf and feigned sleep again while Leah went into stasis mode.

He wasn't letting her out of his sight.

Luckily, he didn't have to fake it for long, because only a few hours passed before EVE woke everyone up. Leah was very sleepy, but she stopped the group before they left and explained the situation.

"What?" EVE held her confusion a moment longer before bursting into hysterics, "You went off to that death trap by yourself!? You could've been killed! What possessed you to go on a solo mission in one of the most dangerous places I've ever seen!?"

Leah listened patiently while she was reprimanded, "I'm sorry..."

EVE sighed in exasperation, one hand on her forehead, "It's fine. But Leah, from now on, could you just go with the rest of us? I really don't want to host another funeral!"

Leah blinked, "Eve..."

"I'm serious! Do you know how devastated I would be if I lost one of my sisters!?" EVE took Leah's face in her hands, "Please! Don't be so flippant!"

Leah let her expression grow sad, "I'm sorry, Eve. I didn't mean to worry you."

"It wasn't just her!" Rio exclaimed, "We were supposed to do this together!"

"Yeah!" Ruby added angrily, "If anyone is going on solo missions around here it's me!"

"No! No one is going on solo missions!" EVE insisted, "Well, what was supposed to be our mission has been unexpectedly completed behind our backs, so instead I guess everyone has a day off." she slumped, beeping in Binary Code, _And maybe I can get a break from all this actual talking..._

Her sisters laughed (Chibi doesn't understand Binary).

"Well..." EVE leaned to the side, "Maybe now I can spend some time with my favorite little husband...?"

WALL-E perked.

"Everyone out!" EVE shooed everyone else out of the truck and pulled the door's level, "And don't come back!"

The door clicked into place.

"So wait, you're telling me we _didn't_ need to check up at the Axiom!?" Rio exclaimed.

More laughter.

* * *

Chibi went through the files on the Axiom's computer. It took a lot of running back and forth to use the keyboard, but luckily, he only needed to use the mouse most of the time. He was curious. Hopefully he could get some information about what happened to Jenny after he fell asleep. He was praying that she lived a long and happy life, soon to have many children and grandchildren and whatever, but he wouldn't know unless he did the research.

"Chibi-Robo!"

It was Telly.

"Did you hear about what Leah did!? Omigosh it was ridiculous!"

Heh. So Leah still hadn't told anyone that he went with her.

"Can you believe it, Chibi-Robo!? I swear, she's going to get herself killed if she's not careful!"

Chibi propped one leg on the mouse, leaning against it as he surveyed the screen. He luckily knew Jenny's full name, which was Jennifer Penelope Sanderson. He knew her birthday, which was June 1st 1998, and he knew her description, red hair brown eyes and clear skin. Using this information, he was able to find his Jenny in all the other people named Jenny.

"Chibi-Robo? What are you doing?" Telly watched the giant monitor as Chibi resumed his searching. Only one Jenny stood out to him among the rest. He opened her biography.

 _Jennifer Penelope Sanderson, born on the 1st of June, 1998._

Yes, this is what he was looking for.

"Jenny!" Telly cried, "It's Jenny!"

Chibi couldn't suppress a smile. The disaster that hurt Chibi and put both Chibi and Telly to sleep had turned out to be a discharge from a failed terrorist attack, and it wasn't bad enough to hurt Jenny or the rest of the family. Whew, that's a relief. She ended up having one child named Keith and two grandchildren named Ellen and Mary. Mary ended up solving world hunger by creating a means for anyone - no matter how poor they were - to grow their own food. Ellen contributed by getting a high-tech water filter to third-world countries so salt water could be converted into fresh water.

Wow. Chibi was proud of his little Jenny.

"That's...really amazing..." Telly said.

Yeah. It was.

"Chibi?" Leah came up the elevator, "Oh, there you are. What are you doing?" she approached the computer, "Ah. So that's Jenny?"

 _Yes!_

"She's cute." Leah remarked, "Anyway, can I borrow this computer for a minute?"

Chibi stepped aside, gesturing to the keyboard, _Help yourself._

"Thank you. Computer, save search and print search results."

A piece of paper was spat out of a machine on the side of the room, "Here ya go." Leah handed the paper to Chibi, who stuffed it in his head compartment, "Okay, let's see here..." she typed vigorously.

Chibi curiously watched what she was doing while Telly flitted about, "Who's Shannon Forthright?"

"She's a descendant of Shelby Forthright, the CEO of Buy n' Large." Leah explained, "She's the one who declared war on us and tried to kill us. She also created and enslaved Ruby."

"That doesn't sound good at all!" tiny sweat marks flew from Telly's head, "Rose told me the fear was the worst thing she'd ever felt..."

"It was bad." Leah agreed, "Wait...what's this?"

Chibi and Telly looked at the screen. On it was a file that the computer picked up from an unknown source, "That definitely wasn't there before..."

It was a video file of unknown length and quality.

"Oo..." Telly said, "Let's watch it! I'm curious!"

Chibi was too.

"Alright...here goes nothing..." Leah clicked on the file and watched it play.


	14. Chapter 14

_"Careful, sweetheart! I'm not a young as I used to be!"_

 _Shelby Forthright was with a five-year old girl who had long black hair and was bouncing up and down. It didn't take much imagination to guess who it was. Shelby himself wasn't visible in the recording, but he sounded very old._

 _"You're the one who's being too slow, Grampapa!" Shannon exclaimed, "Are you recording!?"_

 _"Yes! I'm recording!" Shelby laughed, "What did you want to show me?"_

 _"Watch! Watch me!" Shannon jumped up onto the wall of the ship and scaled the surface effortlessly. She pushed off the wall and sailed through the air, finally landing on the other wall and sliding down sideways on her feet. She slid all the way in front of her "Grampapa" and put both hands into the air triumphantly, "Tada!"_

 _"Beautiful! Absolutely stunning!" Shelby replied, "If I wasn't holding a camera and a walking stick, I'd be applauding!"_

 _"Yeah! I've been practicing!" she exclaimed adorably, "It's an old-fashioned kind of activity called 'parkour'!"_

 _"Bravo! Bravo!"_

 _"Oh! Grampapa! Didn't you have a surprise for me, too?"_

 _"Yes I did! Right this way, my lady!" the camera spun around as Shelby hobbled in a different direction._

 _"Wait! Is it this way?"_

 _"It is, my dear! Just stop at the door!"_

 _Shannon excitedly jumped across all the walls, nimble as a panther stalking its prey. She was strong for someone who was only two and a half feet tall. She got to the giant metal door long before Shelby did._

 _"What's behind this door?" Shannon asked once he'd caught up._

 _"I wonder? Hm, let's find out, shall we?"_

 _She smiled as she typed into the keypad with swift fingers and the door slid open. She gasped. Inside the giant room was an industrial machine, new and shiny. Something came out of a chute in the side and Shelby went to retrieve it._

 _"For my little baby girl..." Shelby gave her the thing, which was a cloth doll with black yarn hair and brown button eyes._

 _Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she took the doll, "Oh my goodness she's beautiful!"_

 _"This is a very old-fashioned doll. I know how much you love old things!" Shelby turned the camera back to the machine, "I built this just for you!"_

 _"I love it! I love her!" Shannon's smile softened as she moved the doll's hair from her face, "I'm gonna call her...Poppy!"_

 _"Well then, it's nice to meet you, Poppy!" Shelby laughed again, "Happy birthday, Darling!"_

 _"I love you, Grampapa!" she disappeared off the bottom of the recording._

 _"Oof! Careful! I'm old!"_

 _"Haha! Thank you! Thank you!"_

 _The camera drooped just a bit, "You're welcome, Precious."_

The video ended and three robots were left dumbfounded.

"Whoa..." Telly said.

Leah closed the file, "Computer, when was this video recorded?"

 _"Message recorded in the year twenty one eight five."_

She felt her eyes widen, "What? How old is this girl?"

The room was quiet for a beat. Leah resumed typing, "Hang on..."

Information file after another, Leah managed to find out that Shannon's mother's name was Noella. A few firewalls hacked through later, and she found a picture of a plaque on the side of a casket. Engraved on the plaque were the words, _Novella, beloved granddaughter._

Leah cried out in realization, "Shannon Forthright is Shelby Forthright's great granddaughter!"

"Great granddaughter!?" Telly hovered close to Chibi, shivering from propeller to foot, "So how old is she, then!?"

"Let's find out...well...she was born in twenty one seventy nine, so she's..." she calculated in her head, "Six hundred twenty nine!"

"No one can live that long!" Telly exclaimed, "She doesn't _look_ that old!"

"Wait, something's not right." Leah typed some more, "I mean, I knew they were related, but I had no idea they shared a direct bloodline!"

"What does that mean?" Telly asked.

Leah brushed her hand across her forehead, "Just who is she, really...? If she was still alive after all that time...oh no..."

"What!? What is it!?"

"I have to tell Eve!"

"Wait! She said to leave her alone, remember!?"

"I don't care! Her life is more important!"

Chibi radar'd her again.

"You wanna come?" Leah rolled her eyes, "Whatever, let's just hurry!"

She sped across the blooming desert fast enough to blow someone's eardrums out if they were too close. She wasn't about to let her family be in danger because she was too slow.

"Eve!" she banged on the door of the truck, "Eve! Open up! Come out, please!"

The door finally opened, revealing a very annoyed-looking EVE, "What do you want?"

"Eve! You have to come with me back to the Axiom!" she pleaded, "Bring Wall-E too! It's urgent!"

EVE became concerned, "Leah? What's wrong?"

"There's no time to explain! We have to go now!"

An explosion in the distance sounded, and after a moment of surprised shock, EVE headed off in that direction.

"Eve! Don't!" Leah grabbed her arm, panicking, "Please just come with me! Please! I beg of you!"

EVE turned her head around, "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting that get into town!"

"NOOO!"

EVE zoomed off as another explosion was heard, blowing up on the horizon.

"Ohhh!" Telly said, "What's going on!?"

"Not good things..." Leah replied.

"Leeeah?"

"Oh." Leah turned around, "Hey, Wall-E." she set Chibi down on WALL-E's body and picked him up, flying off, "We have to save EVE!"

Chibi clung to WALL-E's neck, afraid of falling off.

Meanwhile, the other EVE's had seen the explosion and immediately went to investigate, so when the three of them arrived, they saw the rest of Leah's sisters fighting the giant robot that had appeared.

It was the machine.

"Hey, everyone! Did you miss me!?"

Everyone was suddenly quiet. Finally, after what was possibly the oddest silence of all time, Aya broke it by pointing and yelling;

"I friggin knew it!"


	15. Chapter 15

"I just couldn't stay away!" Forthright laughed maniacally, "You can't kill me!" she was on a big LED screen, controlling the biggest robot ever built, "You'll never _ever_ kill me!"

"How in the world did you survive that!?" EVE shouted.

"I uploaded my consciousness to a master computer that you'll never find!" she replied, fire in her insane eyes, "My new body isn't ready for me yet, so I'll have to fight you this way instead! Please don't die too fast, or I won't be able to enjoy it!"

"I can't believe you'd come back this way!" Aya shot a laser blast, "If you're gonna be a super-villain, at least show some decency!"

"Aya!" EVE exclaimed.

She stopped battling for a second to shrug, "What?"

"Ugh..." EVE hit her visor with her left hand.

"Look out!" Rio shot again, taking a piece of the metal shielding off.

Ruby cursed, "We're never getting through at this rate!"

Leah realized what she had to do and set WALL-E down, "Stay here! I'll be right back!"

Chibi tried to stop her, but she was already gone. She swerved around the robot and found its back-panel, prying it open and tearing the cords out. She then entered a universal kill-code and closed the opening, searing the edges with her laser cannon (this was the second time she ever used it).

"What!? What's going on!?" Forthright panicked, "Retreat! All systems are failing! _I said retreat!_ "

The screen flickered off and the robot tumbled forward, landing with a loud metallic _thud!_

"Leah!" EVE rushed to her, "You're hurt!"

"What?" Leah felt the side of her face, which was black and charred, "Oh, n-no, I-I'm fine, really-!"

"No you're not!" EVE scolded, "This is a serious injury! Let's get you to the repair ward right away!"

"What were you thinking, _idiot!_ " Ruby cursed again, "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm sorry." Leah didn't know what else to say, "I...I was being careful..."

EVE sighed, "I know. It's okay, let's just get you to safety." she took Leah's arm in both her hands, scanning over her with her laser scanner, "You don't seem to have sustained any other injuries. That's good. Come on, Go-4 can take you."

Leah didn't say anything else as she let her sisters lead her to the repair ward. She looked at Chibi as she passed him and WALL-E, concern and fear in his eyes.

Leah smiled at him, _Don't worry, Chibi._ she thought, _I'll be okay._

* * *

Chibi watched as the thin arm with a laser on the end of it wove over Leah's head and patched up the damage, putting cords back together and fusing bits of metal to itself. It was kind of hard to look at, but at the same time, he couldn't look away. All that was left afterwards was a discoloration of the metal around where the wound was; a scar.

"Ugh..." Leah touched it gingerly, looking in a mirror, "Do you think it makes me look bad?"

Chibi displayed his sign that said, _No!_

"You're sweet, Chibi...but, it's so ugly!" she lamented, "I look like I lost a fight!"

Chibi shook his head, taking out his notebook and pencil again, writing down, _it maks yu look stron_.

"Does it?" Leah looked like she was about to cry, "It's so gross..."

 _no its not_ Chibi used his radar to make sure she read it.

"Chibi..." she replied, attempting to calm herself down, "Thank you..." she glanced at her reflection one last time before picking him up, "You're such a sweetheart..."

EVE slammed her fist down on the table, "This is ridiculous! We'll never kill her if she can just...regenerate!" she growled, "Any ideas on how to take her out?"

"Well, we need to destroy her master computer." Rio said, "We need to find it."

"How?" Aya asked, "The author is never gonna let us find it!"

"Will you shut up about the author!?" EVE exclaimed, "I suppose next you're going to tell me that my love story is a movie!?"

"What!? Of course not!" Aya said, "That's absurd!"

You'd be surprised.

"Well, what do you suggest we do instead?" Leah asked, stroking Chibi's head with one finger.

"Well..." Aya was about to say something, but then she thought about it, "Um..."

"We have to at least try." EVE said, "Wouldn't an author give their characters a chance?"

"Well...some people have written some really sad stories..." Aya frowned, "With very sad endings..."

"Then let's hope our author is a kind one." EVE replied, "I'm gonna do some more research."

"Eve, you always do the research." Leah said, "Let me step in for you this time."

"No. I should do it." EVE told everyone there, "I just want to get it over with. I can connect it with my previous research and do so quickly. And besides, I don't want to inconvenience anyone else."

Leah looked slightly disappointed, "Okay."

"You can help me should the need arise." EVE stretched her arms out, "Well...you guys are dismissed. I'm gonna go do that."

"Evah!" WALL-E wined.

"Don't worry, Babe. I'll join you guys soon."

Leah watched her go while WALL-E got flustered from being called "Babe". He could never get used to that, it seemed.

"Well, I guess we're going home." Leah said.

There was something off about her tone, but Chibi couldn't quite place it.

* * *

Chibi jerked himself awake. Oh no no no, no sleep for him! He was going to stay awake if he had to scrub the entire truck from top to bottom and rearrange all of WALL-E's belongings! Okay, he wasn't actually going to do that, but he felt like it!

Then he realized something. One of the probes was missing.

 _Oh no..._ Chibi scrambled out of the truck and ran down the side of it, not bothering with the Chibi-Copter this time. He used his radar to pinpoint where the probe had gone and sprinted. He just hoped that Leah wasn't in danger again. He hoped upon endless hope that she hadn't gotten too far. Luckily, his battery had been upgraded to an energy-efficient 100,000 watts. He had faith that he'd be able to get to her before he ran out of power.

But that wasn't his true concern.

What he saw when he found her made the heat drain from his face.

Connected to Leah's heart was a rubber pump...

And connected to the other end of the pump was a _jug of water..._


	16. Chapter 16

Chibi was frozen. Then he had turned and begun to sprint even faster. He begged his legs to carry him as fast as possible. He couldn't think of anything else as his eyes Watered and his battery acid stung.

It was the worst fear he'd ever felt, and he despised it.

He stopped at the hole in the roof and used his radar as strongly as he could.

"Wha-?"

They had begun to wake up. He did it again, more desperately this time.

"What?" EVE rolled her head around and approached him, "What's wrong, Chibi-Robo?"

He tried to get her to follow him. She read his expression and understood, nodding and picking him up, "Show me."

He pointed and she went off in that direction.

Her eyes turned into big bright circles, "LEAH!" she dropped Chibi gently and grabbed her, violently slamming her back with her arm and choking her. The water spilled from her stasis chamber as she was blacking out. She kept doing this until no more water would come out.

"No! No, Leah! Stay with me!" EVE demanded, "Stay awake! I'm not letting you sleep!"

"Eeeevvve..." Leah slurred.

"No! Wake up! Stay awake!" EVE slapped her in the face, "What did you think you were doing!? What were you thinking!?"

"I...I..."

"Nevermind! Just stay with me now!"

"What's going on!?" Rose exclaimed, the other girls behind her.

"Leah just tried to kill herself!"

"WHAT!?" Rio cried.

"NO! YOU IDIOT!" Ruby screamed fearfully, "Is she okay!?"

"She will be!" EVE sped off with her sister, "Help me get her to the repair ward! _Hurry!_ "

"Come on!" Rose grabbed Leah, speeding along with everyone else, "Don't fall asleep! Stay awake _Stay awake!_ "

Leah was out of it the whole way there. She almost slipped away a few times and Chibi thought he'd be sick when he saw smoke pour out of the wound she made on her heart. WALL-E caught up with them at some point, and Rose had to fight to keep Leah from drifting off. Finally, they reached the Axiom and Leah was shoved into the repair ward.

"OhmigoshOhmigoshOhmigosh!" Telly panicked.

"Leah!" EVE talked to her as she was swept away and scanned, "I'm not letting you sleep until I'm one hundred percent sure that you won't die! Okay!?"

"Eve..." she said a little clearer than before, "Why...? It hurts..."

Chibi couldn't stand the way her voice sounded. He thought he was hearing a grinder in his middle as he watched her pain. It hurt.

"I know! Listen, Leah! You're going to get through this, okay!?" EVE kept talking, her voice getting more and more upset and broken, "I'm not letting you die! It won't happen, okay!? You'll be fine! You're going to be okay!"

"Uuugh..." Leah held her abdomen painfully as the next laser swept over her. She had extensive mineral damage in her main compartment, and her stasis chamber was smeared with oil and grease. Her motherboard and hydraulics were still chugging along, though they had been almost completely destroyed. The arms on the ceiling tucked her into a slot and forced her compartments open, flushing out the mineral damage and fixing the chips and boards in her brain. It was very painful.

Finally, the machine hooked her up to an emergency charger and let a slow trickle of electricity back into her system. Whenever she sparked, it would stop and go back, drain the power, fix it up again, and hooked her back up. After all of that, she was able to gain the flow of power leaking into her tired battery.

"Why?" Leah cried, "Why?"

"W-why what, Leah?" EVE asked.

She looked at her sister, speaking carefully, "Why did you save me?"

"Why did I-! Because you're my sister!" EVE exploded, "I love you! Why wouldn't I save you!?"

"That's a retarded thing to say!" Ruby cursed again, "You tried to commit suicide and you think we don't care!?"

"How could you even _think_ that!?" Rio added angrily.

"Yeah! You're special to us, Leah!" Rose said matter-of-factly.

"I can't believe you actually did that!" Aya cried, "I don't know what I would've done if you'd _succeeded!_ "

"I agree!" Telly shook with fear.

Chibi watched again as Leah's eyes curved down, despondent, "I..." her voice shook violently, " _I..._ "

She burst into loud sobbing, "It's not fair! I keep feeling so horrible! It won't go away! Why can't I just be _happy_ for once!? Why can't I just feel right!? Why does everything I do feel so _pointless!?_ " her screaming got louder, and the sound of metal on metal was overwhelming, "I JUST WANT TO FEEL AGAIN!"

EVE hurried to the computer and did one more quick scan of her sister, a green laser that swept across Leah's white body from right to left.

"Computer." EVE was in calculation mode, "Diagnose internal circuitry."

 _"Diagnosis; Eve Probe Four has an imbalance of three main unknown chemicals. Recommend treatment; a complete system reset."_

"No!" EVE exclaimed immediately, "Thank you, computer."

 _"I'm happy to be of service."_

"So, what do we do?" Rio asked.

EVE did her least favorite thing to do just then; She said, "I don't know."

"We're doomed." Aya said.

"What!? No we're not!" EVE snapped, "I've said that before and we're fine! Uhhh, you guys watch Leah for me! Don't let her leave and don't let her fall asleep! I have to go do something real quick!" and with that, she was gone.

Chibi scrambled up to Leah's head and tapped her gently. She turned to look at him, "Hey, Chibi...how did she know...?"

He patted his chest.

"You told her!?" Leah shook her head, "You always seem to be awake when I don't want you to be..."

He didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't need sleep. As long as he was moving, he could go a million years without it.

"I can't believe it..." Leah sluggishly rubbed her forehead, exhausted, "I can't believe I failed because you saw I was gone..."

He made her look at him again, pulling out his notebook and pencil so he could tell her, _i new somthin was ron_

"Hang on, Chibi." Rose moved to the computer and grabbed a gizmo from it, "Use this. I think it'll work nicely." she stuck one end onto his head. A hologram appeared before them, waiting.

"Oh. I forgot we had those." Leah commented.

 _What's that?_ Chibi's thoughts were spelled out on the hologram.

"It translates thought into word." Aya giggled, "Neat, right?"

 _Yeah, it is neat._ again, Chibi's thoughts were typed up, _Mind if I hold onto this?_

"Sure. We have plenty." Rose told him.

"That's awesome!" Telly said, "Now I can speak directly to you!"

 _Yeah. Like you don't do that anyway._

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

 _What? Oh! Uh, I didn't mean it like that!_ Chibi would have to watch what he was thinking with this thing on.

"Chibi, just talk." Rio said, "How did you know something was up?"

So, Chibi tried to gather his thoughts, organizing them one by one until he found the best way to convey what he was saying.

 _Okay..._ he watched as his thoughts were displayed on the screen for all to see, _Here's how I know..._


	17. Chapter 17

_Chibi heard something upsetting while he was cleaning up that day. Quiet sobbing was coming from Jenny's room. The door was closed, but Chibi put his toothbrush away and ran to the door, knocking loudly on it._

 _"What!?" Jenny unlocked her door and opened it, "Chibi-Robo? What are you doing here so late?"_

 _He jumped up and down, extending his arms to her._

 _"Alright..." she picked him up, wiping her wet eyes, "Sorry...it's just...everyone at school says that I'm fat..."_

No! _Chibi proclaimed. He moved his hands together and then outwards in a curved shape._

 _"I'm curvy?" she laughed through her tears, "You're just saying that cuz you're nice..."_

 _Chibi shook his head vigorously. He took his notepad out and wrote,_ yur butiful _, then he drew a big shaky heart shape around the crudely written words._

 _"Aw..." she sat down on her bed, "You really mean that?"_

Yes! _he insisted, digging the end of the pencil into the paper._

 _Jenny's smile fell, "Chibi...you've been following me, haven't you?"_

 _He was about to respond, but stopped at the last second._

 _"I've seen you sneak into the pocket of my backpack." she explained, "If you're worried about me, you don't have to be. I'll be perfectly okay."_

 _There was something off about her tone, but he decided not to push her on the issue. As he headed back into the hallway above the foyer, Jenny smiled sweetly at him before closing the door._

 _He thought to come back the next morning, just to be safe._

* * *

The room was quiet while Chibi relayed the story. He looked at everyone else, anticipation clear in their eyes.

He finished the story with, _I found a noose in her room._

The girls gasped.

 _I didn't know what it was at first, but I had a bad feeling about it._ Chibi wrung his hands together, _So I told Mom-er, excuse me, Jenny's mom Mrs. Sanderson about it. She nearly fainted._ he paused to gather his thoughts again, _Jenny luckily didn't get her head in the noose before her dad stopped her, though he just caught her as she fell. If she had been any closer, she wouldn't have lived._

"That's awful!" Rose said.

"Was she okay?" Leah asked.

 _Yeah. Mom got her into therapy and she was able to live normally after that. It was the first day I let her go to school without me when I fell asleep in the backyard tree and didn't wake up for hundreds of years._ he had to pause again to compose himself, _I saw the signs, but I didn't realize what it meant. She almost died because I didn't know someone would want to kill themself. It was honestly one of the most horrifying things I've ever had to experience._

" _That's_ why Jenny went into therapy!?" Telly asked incredulously.

 _Yeah. She asked us not to tell anyone, but it's been more than 800 years, so I think she'd forgive me._ Chibi would have laughed if he was capable, _Jenny had actually been suicidal for about a year before her attempt to take her own life._

"How long did you know?" Rose asked, "About Leah, I mean."

 _Since she escaped to shut down the facility. She was so unconcerned with her own life being threatened, it scared me. I actually made her take me with her because I was afraid she was leaving to take her life. I wanted to at least keep an eye on her. I had my eyes open from day one._

"So that's how you knew..." Leah shook lightly, "You saved my life..."

 _Of course I did! I love you!_

Everyone gasped.

Oops. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. He pulled the device off his head. That's the problem with thought-to-text, he supposed.

"Chibi..." Leah had glowing warmth in her expression, "Is that...true...?"

Well, no backing out now. He put the gizmo back on his head, _Yes...I..._ he didn't let himself stop, _...I love you...I didn't know it before, but I love you so much..._ he was rambling, but he still didn't stop, _I love your orange eyes, I love your sweet and caring nature, I love your kindness, I love your programming skills, I love the shine and the curve of your body, I love-!_ he yanked the device off again, but the words still echoed in his head, _Love...love...love..._

He was afraid to look at her again. He couldn't look up. He couldn't open his eyes.

He felt a gentle hand under his chin, and he let it prop his head up. His eyes met Leah's soft orange ones.

"Oh, Chibi..." Leah's voice was full of emotion, "I feel the same..."

* * *

Leah wasn't allowed to leave the repair ward until her slow supply of power remained consistent, and even then, it would quickly deplete when she was disconnected. Her sisters would have to force her back onto the machine and reconnect her until she was stabilized again. It took almost eight hours for her battery to be able to function on its own, and Chibi refused to leave her the whole time.

"Okay..." EVE returned with a stack of code, "I got all the information on depression and suicide in all the databanks of the world..."

"How long has it been since you've slept?" Rio asked.

"How long has it been since _you've_ slept?"

"I don't sleep, remember?" Rio rolled her eyes, "That's the definition of insomnia!"

"Stop..." Leah said, "It's too loud..."

Everyone was quiet.

"Well..." EVE sifted through the pages, filled with nothing but ones and zeros, "So it looks like in humans, happiness comes from 'endorphins' and 'dopamine'." she said almost business-like, "Depression is often caused when the brain can't make enough endorphins to keep the person in a normal mental state. As a result, they stop...feeling."

"They stop feeling?" Ruby said, "You mean like a sociopath?"

"No, not like that. It's more like a lingering sadness that won't go away, so you just become numb to it." EVE replied, continuing down each page, "They start to not care so much about anything, and it can get so bad that they begin to doubt themselves; Doubt that anyone would care if they just..."

She stopped there, but everyone got the point.

"Anyway, we didn't know about this because medical advancements have almost eradicated it to the point where no one knew what it was anymore. I had to really dig to find these files."

That sounded about right, although Jenny fell victim to anxiety and peer pressure more than depression, it made sense to Chibi.

He didn't care either way. He wasn't leaving Leah until she was better.


	18. Chapter 18

"Forthright's attacking again!" EVE exclaimed.

"What!?" Rio said.

"Yeah! She's right outside trying to break in!"

"Well let's get out there then!" Ruby yelled.

"Chibi, stay here with Leah and DO NOT let her leave!" EVE cocked her cannon and followed her sisters outside.

"Wait..." Leah tried to disconnect herself from the machine, but Chibi firmly yanked her arm to her side.

"But Chibi! They need my help!"

 _You wouldn't even be alive without me!_ Chibi thought, exasperated, _You are impossible!_

"Hey, what's that look for?" she narrowed her eyes, "Oh, I think I get it. Har dee har har."

"Leah!" Telly scolded, "He's just protecting you! You can't fight in your state!"

"But they're in danger!" she gripped her face, "Ugh! Why did I do something as stupid as pour water into my body!?"

"That doesn't matter now!" Telly told her, "The fact is, you're hurt! Stay here!"

"But my family!"

 _No!_ was Chibi's swift reply. He suddenly got an idea, so he stuck the device back to his head, _Telly, go and see how they're doing, then report back. She might be put at ease if she knows._

"Oh! Good idea!" Telly said, "Alright! I'll be right back!"

While he was gone, Leah watched Chibi pace, after taking the thing off his head again. He seemed to really like moving around.

"Hey, Chibi?"

He stopped and looked at her.

"Is it true?" she asked carefully, like she was treading on thin ice, "Do you love everything about me?"

 _Yes!_ how could she ask something like that?

She laid back, "I've been struggling with my self-esteem for almost a year...all my sisters are just so much better than me..."

He wanted to stop her there, but he was curious, so he let her continue.

"...I just...I don't know...I felt like I was a burden on them...I felt like a waste of space...I saw that jug of water in the human town, and...I..." she opened her eyes sadly, "...something inside me snapped...you know, I was actually planning on...killing myself, right after shutting the facility down...but you stopped me and convinced me to stay...but the thoughts just wouldn't go away..."

The silence around them was slowly getting on Chibi's nerves, but he didn't break the silence. He listened with a keen ear-chip.

"...the urge to kill myself went away as soon as you told me that you love me..." she smiled at him with pure adoration, "How can I leave you after a confession like that?"

Chibi shook his head, the translator back on, _It's not just me. We all love you. Eve, Rose, Rio, Aya...they all would have been devastated if you left!_

"Maybe...but the thoughts still wouldn't leave..."

 _Thoughts like what?_

"I'd rather not say...but it scared me..." she explained with anger in her expression, "...I'm glad now that I didn't succeed..."

 _Heheh...this is almost like Jenny telling me and her parents what was up._

"Really?"

 _Yeah. Jenny was screaming and crying, just like you were. She luckily didn't have to go to the hospital for injury because her head didn't get in the noose, but she was a mess. I was afraid she was going to kill herself just by squirming around, but Dad held her firm. He wasn't letting his only child go so easily._ he was lost in his thoughts again, _I wish I could have been there on her 17th birthday. It would have been the 9th anniversary of when we first met._

Leah let a small smile come over her eyes.

 _I'm just glad she learned to live without me._ Chibi had a wistful look in his black camera eyes, _I'm sure she got another Chibi-Robo, though. I hope she did._

"Uh, guys..." Telly had returned, "Bad news...the girls aren't doing so well..."

"What!?"

Chibi glared at Telly before trying to restrain Leah, _You idiot! She's going to try and save them!_

Telly's pupils shrunk, _"I'm sorry..."_

 _Don't be. It's not your fault-! Wait! Telly, don't cry! Leah! Stop!_

He was getting very stressed.

"I have to get to them!" she yanked the cord from her heart and froze.

 _Telly! Get her plugged in again!_

"Ack!" Telly hurried to the cord and pushed it back in. Leah started moving again.

"What happened?"

"You blacked out, I think." Telly replied.

"I...I have to..."

 _You don't have to do anything except stay here!_ Chibi insisted, _Calm down!_

"Chibi! Let me go!"

 _You can't! We already told you! Stop!_

"LET ME GO!" her eyes flickered and static crossed her screen, "I HAVE TO GET TO THEM! I HAVE TO GO!"

Chibi couldn't stand hearing her cry like that. He had to do something, he had to stop this, he...

Leah forced herself to calm down, though she still shook, "There's a portable battery pack on the far wall...I can use it to get around for a limited time on it's power..."

"That's so risky!" Telly exclaimed worriedly, "It's not going to work!"

"I have to..." Leah had sharpness in her gaze, "I'm not letting my sisters die because I made a stupid mistake...let me go, at least for a few minutes..."

 _I...I can't do that..._ Chibi's thoughts translated, _I can't let you go..._

"I'm going whether you want me to or not! Are you going to come with me or stay here!?"

He was at a standstill. Just like he'd once done for her, she was backing him into a wall. He wasn't going to make the choice, she'd already made it.

It was just a matter of whether he'd be with her or against her.

Chibi's eyes curved down, _Fine...Telly, get the the charger..._

"What?" he was about to protest, but he saw the resolve in Chibi's body posture. He'd only seen that one other time; when Chibi went against the Queen of the Spydorz.

"Okay..." Telly flew to the far wall and retrieved the battery. Leah gratefully took it and hooked it up to her heart, unplugging the other cord first, then she stuck the battery itself to her head.

She bolted down the hall of the Axiom, Chibi in her hands, "Okay, I have ten minutes of power on this thing, so we have to hurry! Telly, watch my back!"

"You got it!"

"Oh, and Chibi?" she smiled down at him, "Thank you for everything!"

He nodded, having removed the device.

"Okay!" a determined glint lit her eye, "Let's show Forthright what we can do!"


	19. Chapter 19

"ARG!" EVE held her right arm close to her body.

"Eve is down!" Aya cried, "Any minute now, Author!"

"Ow..." EVE's HUD flashed OFFLINE at her. Her cannon was broken, which meant she could no longer fight. She tucked the useless appendage back into her body just as she dodged another blast.

"You all are so _persistent!_ Aren't you!?" Forthright was laughing hysterically, "This is _so much fun!_ "

"Battle isn't fun!" EVE screamed as the fight dragged on, "Why are you doing this anyway!?"

"Because!"

"No! Really!" EVE swerved to avoid more blasts coming her way, "You don't just _start a war!_ It's extremely stupid to fight for no reason!" EVE spat the words, almost disgusted, "We fight for our home! Why do you fight!?"

Forthright grit her teeth in anger, "Why do I fight!? If you must know, I fight for my family!"

"What!?"

"I fight for my Grampapa!" she seethed, "I fight for his dying wish! He wanted humanity to survive! He gave me hope for a brighter future out in space! I fight because he would have wanted me to!"

EVE was so shocked she was almost hit again, "You're Grampapa!?"

"My great grandfather! He was one of the founding members of Buy n' Large and its subsidiaries! He led it in mankind's greatest mistake!" Forthright was losing her manic demeanor and slowly becoming sad, "He saw the Earth and told me he didn't want to have anything to do with it anymore! I watched him die as he told me to keep everyone away from it! I uploaded my consciousness to a computer so I could foresee humanity as the Axiom-!" she had to stop, " _What's it to you anyway!?_ "

"That's surprising!" Ruby exclaimed as she fought, "I've never heard about this guy!"

"You..." EVE shook her head sharply, "You won't get away with this!"

"What makes you say that!? _Being falsely diagnosed with Psychosis wasn't bad enough!?_ _ **I'm fulfilling his dying wish if it kills me!**_ "

No one could believe their ears.

"Look! We're here!" Leah hid behind some rocks, "Okay, I'm going to wirelessly hack that machine. Cover for me, Telly!"

"You got it!"

"Okay..." Leah opened the portable computer she stole from the Axiom's computer lab, "I just have to send a reprogrammable bio-friendly fatal kill code. It'll destroy the machine and melt itself from the inside out..."

Chibi understood none of that, but he gave a curt nod in response.

"Almost got it...aaand...send!" it beeped at her. She hit the keyboard several more times, and every time it beeped, "Ugh! It won't let me!"

"Oh no!" Telly cried.

"That means I have to hack it manually! And I only have seven minutes left!"

"Make it count!" Telly looked everywhere nervously.

"Okay...let's try this one more time..." Leah downloaded the kill code to her internal database, "Come at me!"

"Leah! Wait!"

It was too late, Leah was already almost there. She hovered to the back of the robot and pried the panel open again, seeing the repair from her previous damage. She inserted her finger, just to be shocked back.

 _Warning: battery power at critical low. Shutting down in two minutes._

"No!" Leah struggled with the wires for awhile, "I'm not letting you stop me!"

"Leah!?"

Crap. Rio found her out.

"What!? Is that a joke!?" EVE said incredulously.

"No! She's here!"

 _Warning: battery power at critical low. Shutting down in one minute._

She was almost out of time. One more wire, and the firewall blocking her was severed. She was then able to stick her finger in and upload the kill code. It would activate as soon as it met the core of the robot.

 _Warning: battery power at critical low. Shutting down in thirty seconds._

"What!?" Forthright screamed, "No! How is this possible!?"

Her monitor began to flicker as she panicked, messing with things until her display was bugging and morphing grotesquely. The robot finally keeled and came crashing to the ground.

"I'll come back! _I'll always come back!_ " Forthright screamed evilly, "None of you are safe! No one will surpass my fury! _Nothing I ever do goes to waste! I AM A GOD!_ "

With one final scream, she died.

Hard and cold and smoking.

"LEAH!"

Her vision blanked for a moment.

 _Warning: battery power at critical low. Shutting down in ten seconds._

"Leah! Are you okay!?" "What's going on!?" "Will she be alright!?" "Why did she leave!?" "Chibi! What were you thinking!?"

All the voices blurred together as Leah lost consciousness, her eyes glitching and her muscles pulsing.

 _Warning: battery power at critical low. Shutting down in three...two...one..._


	20. Chapter 20

All she could see at first was the overwhelming brightness. Next, she made out brown and silver among the white, then she found two sad black eyes. Then they were hopeful. Chibi's eyes.

"She's awake!" Telly said enthusiastically.

"Oh...thank goodness..." EVE sighed in relief.

"I can't believe you left!" Rio exclaimed, "You scared us all sick!"

"Yeah! Are you kidding me!?" Aya added.

"You really are a moron!" Ruby said.

Rose hadn't said anything, but after that, she gripped Leah's head with her clammy fingers, "What is wrong with you!?"

Whoa. Rose had never yelled before.

"Why didn't you tell me you wanted to kill yourself!? Why didn't you come to me for help!? I thought we were friends! Remember!? Remember when you followed me to my rose garden and I told you you were my best friend!? Do you not trust me anymore!? Are you trying to get yourself killed!? Did you even think about what that would do to me!?"

"Rose...I-I'm sorry..." Leah tried to calm her, "I regret what I did...I wish I hadn't tried to drink water, it was stupid and selfish, and I admit that...I promise I won't leave you..."

Rose blinked, "Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart..." Leah lay back again, "I'm glad I failed...I feel much better now..."

"Regardless, I'm not letting you leave the repair ward until you've completely recovered!" EVE proclaimed, "And don't even _think_ about leaving this time! Or I'll stay here and keep you plugged in myself!"

Leah stared blankly, then she laughed.

"What's so funny!?" Rose exclaimed.

"You guys care..." she gasped, "You've always cared..."

"Of course we do!" Ruby scoffed, "You're so stupid! We love you!"

"We love you so much!" Aya chimed in.

"Don't you dare leave us!" Rio threatened, "I could never stand to lose a sister!"

Chibi added to the conversation with his translator, _Neither could I. I only have one friend left from my old life, don't make me lose my new friends too._

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Chibi-Robo!" Telly approved.

 _Hey, listen, Leah._ Chibi made eye contact with her, _I've never been in love before, so please be patient with me._

"Oh, don't worry!" Leah reassured, "It's my first time, too!"

 _Good. That eases my nerves a bit._ Chibi bounced on his feet nervously, _Now then...Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator EVE Probe Four "Leah"..._ No backing out, _Will you go on a date with me?_

Leah smiled brightly, "Yes! I was afraid you'd never ask!"

 _Whew..._

"Way to go, Chibi-Robo!" Telly exclaimed, "At this rate, you'll be back to number one in no time!"

 _Some things never change..._

"You'll have to explain that to me..." Leah winked, "...on our date! Heehee!"

Chibi flushed, _Right! Of course!_

"Wow..." EVE shook her head, "I can't believe we both found our lovers in the garbage..."

"Hey! Chibi is a diamond in the rough!"

"So is Wall-E." EVE agreed, "On a more serious note though, Forthright has escaped again and it seems we'll never be rid of her..."

"Yeah...what are we going to do about that?" Rio said.

"Hmmm...sounds like a set-up for a sequel!" Aya crossed her arms, "Very clever, Author..."

Would you stop it with the fourth wall breaks!?

"Aya! This is serious!" Ruby yelled.

"Right. Sorry."

EVE huffed, "In any case, we'll need to take out the problem at its root, or else she'll just keep regenerating over and over again. Finding her isn't going to be easy, obviously, but we'll never be free from her until we destroy it and any copies she may have."

"How long will that take?" Rose asked.

"Hhh...I'll have to do some more research...can you guys tell Wall-E I won't be coming home tonight?"

"Again?" Aya frowned, "He was so disappointed last time!"

"It's not my fault..." EVE wrung her hands together, "It's my burden..."

"No." Leah declared, "Let me do the research this time."

"Leah..."

"I mean it! You _always_ do it!"

"I think you should let her, Eve." Rio said, "She _is_ good with computers."

"Yeah! In fact, we should take turns!" Aya placed a finger to her cheek, "I don't want anyone overexerting themselves!"

"That's a good idea." Rose agreed.

"Guys..." EVE protested.

 _I can keep her company!_ Chibi offered.

"Okay, Leah you have to stay here!" EVE argued.

"No, I don't. See?" she tapped the machine, and it read, CONDITION: STABILIZED, "And besides, it's not like the repair ward is far from the captain's cabin. If something happens to me, I'll show Chibi where the distress signal is."

EVE frowned, concerned, "Are you sure? I mean, it's no trouble..."

"I can tell, Eve." Leah carefully unplugged herself and didn't go light-headed this time, "Ack...you really want to go home to Wall-E. He must be worried sick. Please, Eve? Let me do this for you. Chibi praises me on my kindness, am I not allowed to demonstrate it anymore?"

EVE was quiet for a little while before she smiled. Then she laughed, "Thank you, Leah."

"Of course!" Leah wobbled a bit as she rose into the air, "Ah...I'm okay..."

Rose helped steady her, "Remember, if you have these thoughts again, please tell us!"

"I will! I promise I will!" Leah smiled, pushing away from her sister, "Okay. I'm good."

"I'm glad." EVE giggled excitedly, "I can't wait to see Wall-E!" then she flew off.

Leah took Chibi in her hands, "Well, we'd better get started. Telly, you coming?"

"Ummm..." Telly hovered closer and closer to Rose until he gently nudged her head, and she giggled sweetly.

"Okay!" Leah laughed, "I get it. Let's go, Chibi."


	21. Epilogue

Telly shuttered, "Oh..."

 _Hey, Telly..._ Chibi stretched his arms, _Ugh...me and Leah were researching all night...it was quite the grind._

"Are you sure that's _all_ you were doing?"

Chibi's eyes opened wide, _What do you mean?_

"Ehhh...?"

 _Telly..._ Chibi rolled his eyes, _It wasn't like that. It's not like I'm going to marry her tomorrow!_

"Whatever..." Telly's eyes glazed over as he looked in the distance.

 _What are you looking at?_ Chibi followed his gaze. Rose was tending to her garden again.

"Did Leah like her honeysuckle?"

 _Uh, yeah, she did._ Chibi felt a mischievous smile come over his eyes, _You love Rose, don't you?_

"Wh-what!? What gave you _that_ notion! of _course_ not!"

Chibi shook his head, _Don't be proud, it's okay, you're in love..._

"Hey! You stop that!" Telly waved his arms around, flustered, "S-so what if I love her!? What's it to you!?"

 _You know, you're not going to get her attention by sitting over here and watching her._

"Yeah, well...what am I supposed to say? I haven't been this nervous since you got lost at Jenny's school!"

 _Ugh, don't remind me..._ Chibi inwardly rolled his eyes, _Look, Rose is super shy, so nothing's going to happen if you keep sitting on the sidelines._

"I know! I just..." Telly was at a loss for words.

 _Hey. Just go give her a kiss. You don't even have to say anything, that'll speak for itself._

"Ugh...I can't do it! I feel sick all of a sudden..."

 _You don't have a stomach._

"Wha-shut up!" Telly shivered, "It's my...uh...servo-pump! Yeah! That's it!"

 _You don't have one of those either._ Chibi shook his head, _You're just making up excuses for yourself._

Telly drooped, "I know..."

 _Just talk to her. What harm could come from that?_

"Well..." Telly was downcast for another second before straightening out, "Okay! I'm gonna do it!"

 _Cool! Good luck!_ Chibi then took the translator off while watching Telly approach his crush.

"Oh! Hey, Telly!" Rose greeted brightly, "Aren't they beautiful?"

"What? Your roses?"

"Of course!" she cradled each blossom, "How sweet they are..."

"Oh, yeah...but honestly...they're nothing compared to you..."

Rose gasped, "You mean that?"

Chibi was surprised he'd said that out loud.

"Uh...yeah, of course I do..."

"Awww..." Rose smiled, lacing her fingers behind her back, "That's so nice of you..." she let her eye-forms slip closed.

There he goes.

Telly moved in closer, his eyes betraying his scattered thoughts as they closed too.

 _Come on..._

The gap between them suddenly closed and a spark flew off their heads.

"Ahhh...!" Telly and Rose flushed.

Wait. What happened?

Chibi looked around until he spotted Leah hiding in the rose bushes. She winked at him.

He couldn't help it, he silently laughed.

THE END


End file.
